Project Blue Blood
by Thalarian
Summary: The rules have changed and the game has become deadlier then ever. It's up to Shinji to keep everything together as new pilots and new scenarios unfold. But can he survive? Even with the help of someone who knows him better then himself?
1. Prologue

A Thalarian T.M. Productions Presents:  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or any of it's associates. That's owned by Gainax. This is going to be the only time that I state that simple fact. Everyone knows this. If you are honestly going to try to sue me for writing this thing, well my friend, you really need a hobby ;) .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Neon Genesis Evangelion:   
  
Project Blue Blood - Prologue  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He had been a boy once. Everyone had been at one point. Everyone starts off being innocent to the evils and deceit that the world had to offer.  
  
He had been no different.  
  
He had been a boy once. How naive he had been. Not having a mother, and basically not having a father. He felt as if the world had put it's weight against him and had pushed with all it's might. No matter what he did, he felt it wasn't enough. Everyone just wanted more from him, sometimes not even acknowledging what he had done for them. Hours grew to days, which grew to weeks, then months. Every time he thought that he would finally be recognized, that all his hard work would finally pay off. Each time he was denied such pleasantries, and left in a wake of his own sorrow.  
  
Nothing had changed. He was still a boy. He was still naive. And now, not knowing when or where he was, he had no one to even hope to praise him anymore.  
  
Silently, the boy picked himself up off the pavement, letting the blurry images turn into pictures he could understand. He squinted against the sun, slowly letting his bearings come back to him. He slumped back against a nearby wall, taking in deep fiery breath after deep fiery breath. He didn't notice the torrent amount of blood running down his chest, or the crimson liquid seeping out of his right ear. He didn't notice the snow falling around him, even considering that is was something he was not used to seeing. No, he didn't notice anything.  
  
The only thing he did notice, was the stinging of hot tears, as well as blood, that ran out of his eyes like rivers. Drip after drip made it's way down his face and off his chin. He squinted trying to take in his surroundings, but everything was just so damn blurry.  
  
Was this heaven?  
  
Was this hell?  
  
He didn't know which way was up or down at the moment, so it really didn't matter to him. Everything that mattered to him was gone. They were all gone. They had to be. There was no way that anyone could have survived. God, it was all his fault. He was just to damn weak.  
  
More tears came, and a strangled sob made it's way through his already bloody and torn throat. How could it end like this? After everything he had gone through it couldn't have ended like this. It couldn't have. It just wasn't possible.  
  
Some of the blurry images finally began to take shape, and he pushed himself off of the wall, staggering his way into the street. Finally taking some notice of his surroundings, he looked up at the various signs and pictures dotting all over the buildings in his general vicinity. They looked to be in English, but he couldn't read any of them. What was going on? What happened? Shouldn't everything be gone? His mind whirled and he stumbled around, staring wide-eyed at all the building surrounding him. The only thing tearing out of his reverie was the deafening sound of screeching brakes and a blaring horn.  
  
With wide eyes and a throat burning yelp, the young man feel backwards as a car came inches from taking his life away. He landed on his backside, pain burning to every pore of his body. He was dimly aware of the sound of a car door opening and the sound of feet crunching through the snow, hastily closing in on his position.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you?! Why don't you watch where you are......oh my GOD!!! Elise! Elise call an ambulance, this boy needs help!"  
  
The young man could barely even register the fact that he was softly being lifted into the air. Sounds began to blur together, and he could barely recall hearing another door opening followed by a woman's gasp of horror. The man of a voice began to softly talk to him, although he couldn't understand a word that he was saying.  
  
"Son, are you ok? Just keep still, the paramedics will be here any second."  
  
Despite his throat burning, the boy forced his breath to come in and words to leave his throat. Despite the fire, he pressed on.  
  
"W-where......am......I...?"  
  
The man gave the boy an odd look, glancing back at his wife, who was on her cell phone frantically talking to the paramedics on the other line. Looking back at him, he spoke softly again.  
  
"Washington DC son, save your strength, you've lost a lot of blood."  
  
The young boys eyes widened when he finally understood the man. Gathering up all the strength he could, he forced another raspy question to emanate from his throat.  
  
"W.....w-hen.......?"  
  
This time the mans eyes became questioning, and he gave the boy a look that seemed to be between pity and confusion.  
  
"Kid....save your strength....."  
  
The boy wouldn't listen however, and this time, he asked again, more confidence in his voice.  
  
"W....when...?"  
  
The man gave in, taking a deep breath.  
  
"It's 2005 son..."  
  
A spark of hope gathered inside the young man's eyes, and they glowed with a ferocity that would have looked ridiculous with his torn and tattered body. But hope was never ridiculous to those who felt it. The year 2005. This had to be a dream. It had to be. There was no way that he would have a second chance to save everyone. It would never happen. Not to him. Not to the boy that was not worth anything.  
  
Boy. Yes, he was a boy once. He had been naive, and he had never gotten praise that had any worth behind it in all his life. But in that one instant, everything had changed. He was not a boy any longer. He was not naive any longer. He was not weak, he was not cowardly, and he was not scared. But most of all...  
  
...he was not going to fail...  
  
...he was not going to run away any longer...  
  
...because he had a second chance...  
  
...and he'd be damned if he would allow them all to die again.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
This is my first posted fanfic, although I have many written and saved. I had originally written this around 5 years ago, and just never gotten around to posting the thing. Looking back, I cringe at my writing then, and am re-writing this to my style now. The plot and main points will stay the same, but I'm refreshing it from the horrid writing style that I had back then. Hopefully, I can get the next few chapters up in a matter of time. Criticism is always a welcome thing, but flames are just a waste of my time. I hope you all will enjoy reading this, as much as I will enjoy writing it. Until then, take care of yourselves. ;)  
  
~~Chris~~  
  
Thalarian T.M. Productions 


	2. Chapter 1: To Know Thy Self

Disclaimer: See the first chapter.  
  
Thalarian T.M. Productions Presents:

* * *

Neon Genesis Evangelion:  
  
Project Blue Blood - Chapter 1: To Know Thy Self

* * *

To some, God is a being that is all knowing, all seeing, and the guardian of the most prestegious plane of existence ever. He is the one everyone goes to for the answer. He is the one that everyone turns to for for guidance. He is the one that everyone begs to for mercy. He is the watcher of all and forgiver of all sins.  
  
He's in his heaven and all is right with the world.  
  
At least, that's what it stated under the half leafed symbol on the floor of one Gendo Ikari's office. To him, God was a being that didn't work in mysterious ways. He wasn't a being that watched over those that put their faith in him. Oh no, to him, god didn't even exist. That's why, to one Gendo Ikari...  
  
...it was a position that needed to be filled.  
  
Adjusting his amber glasses, Gendo settled into the leather chair that was settled behind his desk. Letting his hands fall on a few of the papers that littered his desk, they finally settled on what seemed to be transfer papers. After glancing over them one more time, he settled back into his chair, hands intertwined under his nose in a position most familiar to him. Another set of hands reached out and picked up the forms, leafing through them before putting them back on his desk. The shadow behind the man finally took a step forward, a deep frown crossed across his usual stoic features.  
  
"Are you sure this a good idea?"  
  
The man in question responded, never turning to look at the one he was answering.  
  
"Still doubting me as always Fyuutski?"  
  
The Sub-Commander stepped forward, running a hand softly through his grey strands. "Not doubting, just observing."  
  
Gendo smiled faintly. "As you always do my friend. Do not worry, this decision has not come without careful consideration."  
  
Fyuutski stepped up a little, staring straight forward as Gendo was.  
  
"I do not doubt that it has. I just worry about the other employees working here as well. The last thing we would want to do is startle them by assigning someone like that to guard the Children."  
  
If Gendo had heard his long time friend, then he did nothing to show it. He sat there, eyes staring forward like always. It was something that needed to be done. In all honesty, Gendo had only recently been having the idea of adding more security around the Children. He did not know when the idea had occurred to him, or why he had even listened, but ever since it had popped into his head, he couldn't get it out. Pushing it aside, he pulled forward another report that was sitting on his desk. After leafing through those pages, he set the file back down on his desk.  
  
"How are they looking?"  
  
Fyuutski smiled, still staring forward just like his companion.  
  
"Unit-03 is entering it's final stages of construction and should be shipped here from the United States soon. A pilot is at the moment, being found. Unit-04 will begin testing the core unit in possibly a couple of weeks. Unit-06 is also nearing completion, and the pilot is nearly ready for the activation test. She has been training for nearly 4 months now. China has alerted us that after the activation test, they will ship it here. Russia is a bit over halfway with the construction of Unit-07, and their pilot is more then ready for the activation test. England has Unit-08 in it's final diagnostics checks, and their pilot has entered her final phase of activation. Everything in their reports seems fine."  
  
Gendo's eye's narrowed as he noticed one not on the list.  
  
"And Unit-05?"  
  
Fyuutski smirked. "You need to ask?"  
  
"Seems the old men still want some secrets." Without another word Gendo stood and walked towards the back of his office, staring out of the window that overlooked the GeoFront. "You and I know they are being mass produced as we speak."  
  
Fyuutski didn't yay or nay that fact, but merely walked next to his Commander.  
  
"It is logical. However, I don't believe the Committee would honestly entrust you with this amount of power if they did not believe they had complete control over you." Fyuutski stared out across the lush underground battlestation, giving a weary sigh that truly matched his age. "Man desires the power of God, but in turn, he trades in his humanity. But humanity is what gave us God in the first place. It's all so ironic."  
  
Despite the statement, Gendo couldn't help but smirk.  
  
"You will always have your humanity my old friend..."  
  
With that brief pause, Gendo placed a gloved hand on his reflection, tracing the area that held his heart.  
  
"...I, however, have long since lost mine." 

-------------------------------------------------------------

To say Shinji was a shy boy was like stating that hacking off your leg with a rusty screwdriver while being submerged in molten hot lava and having ticks fester along your entire insides, would hurt a tiny bit. It showed in the way he talked, the way he walked, and just in the way he carried himself day in and day out. Which would explain why everyday, as various girls would greet him, he would shrink back a bit and mumble a brief hello, before blushing profusely and shuffling towards his class.  
  
To say Asuka was a bit ticked off at Shinji, was like saying that half of the earth blowing up and aliens invading and destroying everyone and everything, with the sun about to go nova, was a little problem. Everytime a girl would smile and say something to him, that damn twitch would come back in her right eye. Don't ask her how she got it, she just did. And it was all that idiots fault.  
  
To say Rei was quiet, well, was to say that Rei was quiet. She did not mind the various girls that greeted Shinji.  
  
The boy in question finally sighed, entering the safe havon of the classroom. He smiled lightly as he noticed two young men seated around his chair. Both looked up and smiled back at him, greeting him as he took his seat. The bulkier of the two smacked Shinji lightly on his back.  
  
"Well mister popular, seems that last Angel did very little stop your fanclub."  
  
If Touji's comment wasn't enough, Shinji was forced to deal with the video camera that was suddenly thrust into his face.  
  
"Yeah man! Why don't you share?! Those of us who aren't pilots don't get to have such luck!"  
  
Shinji squirmed in his chair, not entirely liking where the point of conversation was going. Already it had captured the attention of some of the students, and they watching amusedly. Before he could answer however, a fiery voice flared in, burning up any response that the young pilot had.  
  
"Morons can't be pilots Stooge. Shinji's an idiot, so he barely made the cutoff." Asuka's venomous voice sliced through the air with ease.  
  
Kensuke scowled at the German girl, still holding his camera in the said boy's face, before falling back in his chair with a huff. Touji frowned, coming to his best friends defense.  
  
"Seems like you've started PMSing early this month Asuka. Of course, with you, it's always hard to tell."  
  
Touji's voice did nothing to hide his irritation. Asuka just scoffed at the three of them, sticking her nose into the air as she made her way to her seat.  
  
"Can it jock-boy. I only converse with people with an I.Q. over 'Stupid'."  
  
"That's enough you two."  
  
Had one miss Hikari Horaki not stepped in to difuse the situation, Touji would have likely jumped over his desk and attacked the red haired girl. Asuka smirked at the dark haird boy, before bounding over to Hikari's side, brushing off the brief reprimand that Hikari gave her. Touji growled and turned back to his two companions who were still trying to comprehend the situation that just went down. Kensuke was the first to recover, talking with Touji about their weekend.  
  
Shinji stared at Asuka with a bit of disbelief. She had become increasingly cruel in her remarks as of late. Ever since the two of them had kissed. Shinji's face took on a deep scowl. Hell if anyone had a right to be angry over it, it was him. Right after they had kissed she had the nerve to run off to the bathroom and rinse out her mouth.  
  
Not a second later, the teacher entered the room and Hikari went about her morning rituals with the class. Shinji sat back down with a heavy sigh, knowing that the day was not about to get any better as it went on. He stared into space absentmindedly as the teacher droned on about the same topic he droned on about everyday. That's why it's easy to say that he was quite startled when a small blip occured on his desk terminal.  
  
**What is wrong?**  
  
Shinji gave the small chat window a confused look. He glanced around himself quickly, hunching over so no one could see his screen.  
  
**What?**  
  
Shinji sat back, waiting for the response.  
  
**What is wrong? You seem troubled.**  
  
Another quizzical look came from the boys face, and was directed at the screen in front of him. He finally glanced up and looked about the classroom, trying to find the other occupant of the conversation. Finally his eyes settled on the piercing red of another. They met silently, and Shinji found himself blushing very lightly as the red orbs stared back at him with curiosity. She turned back to the terminal in front of herself and began typing. Shinji didn't even have time to look back down before another message popped up onto his terminal.  
  
**You told me to smile more often. Perhaps I should give you the same advise?**  
  
Before Shinji could even respond to the question, the chat window closed. He stared at his screen blankly before he looked up. By that time however the owner of those red eyes was already looking out the window.  
  
Shinji looked a bit dumbstruck as he stared at the girl, but despite himself, he smiled faintly. Perhaps this day was going to be a bit better then he believed. 

-------------------------------------------------------------

The tram into the GeoFront trudged along quietly, and its occupant stared out across the lush underground fortress with awe. It definently was a work of art in its own way, and it definently proved that even if man was barbaric with the earths resources, he was an artist in the ways that he used those resources. Checking his watch, he noticed that it was about noon, and that it would only take a couple hours to arrive at his destination.  
  
The young man sighed, closing his eyes and slipping back into the cushioned chair. He'd arrive at Nerv shortly, and he definently needed to get himself under control. Very soon, his plan would be underway, and then there would be no stopping it.  
  
Without another thought, he let himself be pulled along by the tram that made it's decent into man's ultimate fortress. 

-------------------------------------------------------------

It would only be a couple hours later that a purple haired goddess would find herself walking down the hallways of Nerv. Her red and black flight jacket fluttered behind her softly as she crisscrossed her way through the various corridors of the headquarters. Her long legs were matched by the equally long legs of her blonde haired companion. Together the two walked side by side.  
  
Misato gently ran a hand through her purple locks as Ritsuko pressed in their destined floor. Misato leaned back against the frame of the elevator as Ritsuko stood in the middle with her arms crossed.  
  
"Something wrong Major?"  
  
Misato looked at her long time friend with a glint of uncertainty in her eyes. Purple hair fluttered about has she shook her head, even though Ritsuko knew better.  
  
"You're not telling me the truth..."  
  
Misato sighed. "Is there something I'm not doing right Ritsu? I mean, am I not being a decent enough guardian that the Commander would turn around and do something like this?"  
  
Ritsuko sighed and laid a hand on her companions shoulders as the doors to the elevator opened, welcoming them to their desired floor.  
  
"Misato, you've been doing a fine job as their guardian. The Commander has been boosting security everywhere, so it would make no surprise the he's adding additional personel to the Children."  
  
Misato's brow furrowed for a split second.  
  
"My question is why? This all seems a bit sudden, don't you think?"  
  
No more words were said between the two as they entered the Commanders office. The man in question stood with his back to them as they crossed his threshold, hands neatly entertwined behind his back. Fyuutski stood next to his desk, hands in a similar position but facing the two women entering the office.  
  
The older man smiled and bowed. "Major Katsuragi, Doctor Akagi..."  
  
The two women in question bowed lightly. At this point Gendo turned and sat down in his office chair, his eyes hidden behind his amber glasses. He stared at them critically for a moment. Finally, one of his hands set itself down upon a manilla folder that was sitting on his desk. Without a word he turned it around and slid it towards the two women.  
  
"This is the information on the new bodyguard assigned to the children. It has everything from his personal to professional history. Aside from his bodyguard duties, he will also be assisting both Doctor Akagi and Luietenant Ibuki in their scientific research and development. He is arriving at the transport station in Sector 23 of the Geofront in thirty minutes. You two will pick him up and brief him of his position and answer any questions he may have. After doing so, you will bring him here. Is that understood?"  
  
Both women answered in tandem. "Yes."  
  
Misato and Ritsuko turned around and began to walk towards the door at the other end of the office.  
  
"Major."  
  
Misato turned around, a little startled to hear the Commander call out to her again. He was standing at this point and regarding her. "This has nothing to do with any lack of guardianship of the Second and Third Child. Keep doing the good work."  
  
Misato straightened a bit and a smile made its way onto her face. "Thanks you sir!"  
  
As the two women stepped through the door, Gendo made his way to the window overlooking the GeoFront. Fyuutski smiled and sat down on the edge of Gendo's desk, looking out the same window. "I never took you for one that gave compliments."  
  
The said man smiled, crossing his hands behind his back. "Certain things must be said in order for people do continue doing a good job."  
  
Fyuutski smiled faintly.  
  
"Always the chess player, my friend." 

-------------------------------------------------------------

Ritsuko whistled audibly. It took a lot to impress her, and this definently did the trick.  
  
Misato sat in the drivers side of her blue sports car, driving at a fairly calm pace for her, listening to her friends telling of the mystery man they were going to pick up.  
  
"What?"  
  
Ritsuko flipped through a few pages of the file before finally going back to the first.  
  
"Get this...twenty-five years of age and he's already capped himself as a top special operative for the United Nations. Not only that, but he's got a Masters Degree in Physics and a PhD in Psycology. Says he's been on more then twenty two Spec. Op missions for the U.N. and the U.S. One of them being the famous "Nuclear Reactor" project that the terrorist group in South America had going a few years ago. Remember when they stole a bunch of those nuclear weapons and held a few of the struggling nations at ransom?"  
  
Misato's eyes scrunched up and she grabbed one of the papers from the folder. "Bullshit, he's got to be older then twenty-five." She pulled up the page that had his photo attached to it. Misato nearly sucked in her breath when she looked at the picture. He had short, spikey blonde hair, with a few longer bangs that fell over his face. He had soft yet firm features as well as deep dark blue eyes. Very deep, dark blue eyes.  
  
Misato's eyes glazed over for a second. Dark blue eyes...  
  
"Misato?"  
  
The purple haired beauty snapped out of her reverie, completely forgetting what was going through her head. She glanced over at her blonde haired partner in crime and laughed. "Sorry Ritsu, I kinda spaced out for a moment."  
  
The blonde merely raised an eyebrow and took the file from her hands. When she laid eyes on the picture, her eyes glazed over as well, and she tried to say something. Much like her companion though, whatever was going to come out of her mouth, quickly died, and she suddenly forgot what it was that she was thinking. Shaking her head she placed the file back into its hold, before flipping through a few other pages.  
  
"Get a load of this. He's a master of twelve different types of martial arts as well as trained in over twenty different types of weapons.If I didn't know any better, I would say this guy was a bit more then just a proffessional bodyguard."  
  
Misato laughed and cut a corner, making the car fishtail just a small bit. Ritsuko didn't even seem fazed as the purple haired goddess swrved in and out of the various streets. Before long the two found themselves pulling into the parking lot of the tram station. Misato turned off her car before stepping out, and pulling her jacket around herself, Ritsuko doing a bit of the same, pulling a small brown coat around herself. Both of them hooked small Nerv ID badges onto the pockets of their coats before stepping into the station. Misato looked around the station and finally noted a young man sitting on a nearby bench, reading a book with a small duffel bag next to him.  
  
Misato and Ritsuko appraoched the young man, and Ritsuko pulled out the small photo before nodding to her accomplice that it was indeed the right person.  
  
"Christian Takashi?"  
  
The young man glanced up from his book, staring at the two women standing before him. A genuine smile formed on his face as he stood up. Misato saluted the young man as he stood.  
  
"I am Major Misato Katsuragi and this is Dr. Ritsuko Akagi." Her blonde companion saluted as well. Both of the women couldn't help but smile back, his smile being somewhat infectious.  
  
The young man saluted both of them, before bowing deeply. He stood the same height as both of them, but was well toned under his clothing. His hair was a soft shade of blonde and his face was youthful yet hard, and his eyes sparkled at the two of them.  
  
"I am very pleased to meet both of you."  
  
Neither of the two women suspected a thing...  
  
To Be Continued...

* * *

Author's Notes:  
  
I apologize that this chapter was so short, I had intially intended for it to be much longer. But I figure what the hell, might as well cut it off there. Halfway through writing this one I figured that it might be best to cut this chapter a bit short, simply because what I have planned would best fit into the next installment. ;) Have no fear, I intend to make the coming chapters MUCH longer, I mainly just wanted to boot this one out for anyone that was still waiting. I apologize for the long delay, especially after answering the long delay with something this short, but I figured this would perfectly set up what I have coming ;) I ended up going on a 3 week vacation to Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Amazingly enough, I walked into the casino with 100 bucks, and walked home after three weeks with 600. Damn, what beginners luck :D Plus I had to fly over to the east coast for a funeral service. (Don't worry, it was for a friend, I didn't lose anyone close to me.)  
  
I would like to personally thank Unbesiegbar Kriegsmaschine, RichardRahl, Ominix, and Lonely Magician. They were my first 4 reviwers, and the sole reason I continued to write. Many people may not quite grasp the fact that we write stories for reviews. Not because we want fame or anything, but because we genuinely like knowing that there are people out there enjoying every single thing that we write. The thing that kept me writing was the reviews that sat there. I can't tell you how many times I read them to spur myself into writing. Even to the people that read this and didn't review, I would like to thank you as well. But to those 4 people right there, I dedicate this Chapter and the next to you. I hope I meet your high expactations. ;)  
  
Oh, and one more tidbit. I know my name is Chris, and that this new character shares a similar first name, but DO NOT FEAR! THIS IS NOT A SELF-INSERTIAN BY ANY MEANS! I have many things planned. Also, there will be more of the children and such. I mean come on, Shinji IS the main character after all. ;) Just give me a bit, I'm still trying to balance the characters out so far. And to add a bit to the suspense, as I'm sure you noticed, there were MANY more Evangelions mentioned then normal. That is because YES, there will be characters coming soon. Just figured I'd tease you a bit with that information. ;)  
  
Until I see you all again, take care of yourselves.  
  
**_Chris_**  
  
Thalarian T.M. Productions 


	3. Chapter 2: Blank Eyes Of A Murderer

Disclaimer: See the first chapter.  
  
Thalarian T.M. Productions Presents:

* * *

Neon Genesis Evangelion:  
  
Project Blue Blood - Chapter 2: Blank Eyes Of A Murderer

* * *

The drive started out smoothly enough. Misato and Ritsuko sat in the front, as the newcomer sat in the back. He didn't bat an eyelash as the purple haired woman flew around every corner at breakneck speeds. Ritsuko flipped through the manila folder in her hands a few more times, before finally lifting her head and speaking to the figure in the back.  
  
"You've got quite an impressive profile Mr. Takashi."  
  
The young man smiled brightly.  
  
"Please call me Christian."  
  
Ritsuko smiled at him as well. "Ok then, Mr. Christian. What was the mission in Brazil like by the way? You seem to be quite an expert in your field."  
  
Fortunately, neither of the two women saw his smile falter in the back seat. He sat there for a moment, collecting his thoughts before smiling again.  
  
"Not something a brilliant woman like yourself would want to know about."  
  
Ritsuko blushed faintly, as her brow scrunched up in confusion. Not quite the answer she was expecting.  
  
Thankfully her companion cut in. "How did you get into the business. You seem pretty young to be a government agent Christian."  
  
Once again, the smile faltered. "Uhh, my father was Secretary Of Defense for the United States. It was only natural that I had a foothold into the position and its requirements."  
  
Misato smiled. "Well you seemed to have a natural talent for it. I hope you don't mind me intruding, but you don't seem very...well...American."  
  
"Misato!"  
  
The young man laughed as Ritsuko scolded Misato for the blatant disregard of respect. "It's quite alright Ms. Akagi. My parents, well, they weren't actually my parents. I was adopted by them when I was fifteen."  
  
Misato looked in her mirror at him.  
  
"What about your real parents then?"  
  
He met her eyes for a brief moment, before looking out the window.  
  
"My mother passed away, and my father with her."  
  
Understanding that nothing more should be said of it, Misato's eyes solemnly fell back onto the road in front of her. No more words were said as they began their decent into Nerv. 

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_  
  
"And this is the second employee lounge."  
  
Christian fell in step with Misato and Ritsuko as they walked through the bowels of Nerv. He smiled pleasantly as the Major announced each part of the headquarters. Ritsuko stood a bit to his side, fairly disinterested in the entire ordeal.  
  
"Well now, this must be my lucky day, two lovely young ladies in one place."  
  
Misato suddenly cringed and began to grit her teeth, as an amused smile played across Ritsuko's lips.  
  
One Mr. Ryouji Kaji sauntered up to the pair, bowing low and flashing a row of pearly whites. Misato just gave him a look of disdain as he wandered up to her.  
  
"Major, you are looking quite stressed. Perhaps I could offer you dinner tomorrow to help relieve' some of that tension?"  
  
Misato's eyes narrowed, but before her hand could meet the ever stubbly face, her pursuer noticed the young man behind them. He smiled and bowed lightly to the young man.  
  
"Well now, I apologize for my manners. My name is Ryouji Kaji. Yourself?"  
  
Christian smiled brightly and bowed. "Christian Takashi, newly assigned security agent to the Children and part-time R and D specialist."  
  
Kaji's eyes glazed over for a brief second as they met Christian's. He knew them somewhere, but he wasn't sure. Before his thoughts could go any farther, his mind suddenly blanked on what it was he was thinking about. Misato stared at Kaji for a brief moment. She silently raised a hand to his face and waved it back and forth.  
  
"Hello.earth to Kaji."  
  
The stubbly stud finally broke out of his trance, smiling a bit before backing up.  
  
"Sorry about that. It is a pleasure to meet you. Now then, if you will all excuse me, I do have a bit of business to attend to."  
  
He began to walk past the group, before smiling and turning back around. He regarded the young man for a moment. "Be careful Mr. Takashi, Ms. Katsuragi is known to be quite a man tamer."  
  
Christian and Ritsuko laughed as Misato cursed at the pony tailed man. She glared darkly at his back, hoping beyond a doubt, that he would suddenly just explode. Ritsuko smiled before tapping the purple haired goddess on the shoulder.  
  
"Remember Major...we've got a schedule to keep."

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

The office was no more warm and inviting then a lawyer dancing on an iceberg.  
  
The Commander of Nerv sat, with his hands intertwined, at his equally cold desk. Behind him, stood the ever present statue of the Sub-Commander. Before them, stood the newly assigned bodyguard of the First, Second, and Third Child. A ways behind him stood the Major and Lead Scientist of Nerv.  
  
"Christian Takashi I presume?"  
  
The young man stiffened slightly.  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Gendo focused on the man before him for a moment. Finally he stood, lacing his hands behind his back. He walked around to the front of his desk, staring at the young man intently, trying to sense any disdain.  
  
"I understand you have read the rules and regulations of Nerv."  
  
"Yes sir, I have."  
  
Gendo took another step forward.  
  
"I also understand that you have been briefed as to your position here at Nerv?"  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Another step.  
  
"Then all the rules apply. Your housing has been accommodated next to Major Katsuragi's and your belongings have already been placed there. You are on duty during the day; your hours will be specified as a schedule is created. You will, however, be on call twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Any disregard for the safety of the Children will result in immediate and swift penalties. Any acts of negligence towards direct orders from Major Katsuragi, Sub-Commander Fyuutski, or I, will also result in immediate penalties. Any acts or signs of treason will result in punishment with extreme prejudice. Up to and including execution. Is this understood?"  
  
By the time Gendo had said his entire speech, he was now only two steps away from being face to face with Christian.  
  
"Perfectly, sir."  
  
One final step. This finally placed Gendo in the young mans personal space, which the Commander used to look down on him. Christian looked back up at him with the same blank and determined look, not budging and inch.  
  
"We are an organization designed for the protection of humankind Mr. Takashi. I will not tolerate any mistakes on your behalf. For your sake, I would advise you do your job to the best of your abilities. Is that clear?"  
  
Christian answered softly, without missing a beat. "Clear as shit on a shingle....sir."  
  
Gendo's eyes narrowed at the statement.  
  
"Then you are dismissed."  
  
"Thank you sir."  
  
Christian turned and walked away, the two women bowing and leading him out of the office. When the door finally closed, Gendo returned to his seat, taking his usual position. Fyuutski smiled faintly as Gendo sat down.  
  
"You and I both know he won't follow what you just told him too."  
  
Gendo continued to stare.  
  
"He will. His job, and possibly his life, depends on it."  
  
Fyuutski's smile spread a bit more.  
  
"He reminds me of someone I knew a long time ago. Someone that I should have probably let stay in a little cramped cell for a couple extra days.."  
  
This time, Gendo couldn't help but smirk lightly.  
  
"Perhaps you should have, my old friend."

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Shinji packed what was left of his papers as the final bell rang. Kensuke has already run off with Touji to a new movie that was released in theaters. The poor boy couldn't recall the name of the movie to save his life. Something about warfare and explosions. Oh hell, this was Kensuke we're talking about. You didn't even have to know what he was going to see to know that it would have warfare and explosions. Also the possibility of brief nudity.  
  
Shinji finally hefted his bag over his shoulder. Asuka had already run off with Hikari to do whatever the strange gender of women do. He glanced at the desk next to the window. She was gone too. Probably already off to Nerv.  
  
He was still working out his feelings for his two co-workers. Asuka was somewhat of a mystery. One minute she could be sweet as sugar. Always making sure he stood up for himself, sometimes doing it for him. Making sure he was ok, and many other things. Then of course, she could also be a demon in human disguise. She would scream and yell at him. Hit him for things that he didn't do, and blame things on him for the simple fact that he was 'Male'. Most of it never made sense. Hell, Asuka in her own way didn't make sense. She seemed to have this vendetta against the world, and she wouldn't quite until everyone knew it.  
  
As much a mystery as she was, she wasn't even close to being as mysterious as Rei. You could never tell what the girl was thinking or feeling. Shinji still rarely knew when she was happy or not. The few times he did know were when she would smile. Shinji couldn't help smiling himself at that thought. He had this hidden feeling that he was one of the very rare people she would smile to on a regular basis.  
  
As the last of his thoughts left him, Shinji proceeded out of the school. Kensuke had said something about a new Eva Unit earlier that day. Shinji didn't know whether to be happy or not. He would be happy that someone else would be here to help, so not so much had to be weighed on his, Asuka's, and Rei's shoulders. However, he wasn't so sure if he liked the fact that someone else would be subjected to this slow but immanent torture. He would have to ask Misato about it later.  
  
As Shinji made his way out of the front doors of school, he was a bit surprised to see Misato standing out in the street next to her blue sportscar. What surprised him even more, was the indigo haired girl standing next to her. This however, sent him into a small panic.  
  
"Hi Misato!"  
  
The purple haired woman smiled back at him, waving slightly as he made his way up to them.  
  
"Hi Shinji. Could I ask you a favor?"  
  
His panic faded a bit as he realized that it wasn't some sort of emergency. He nodded his approval. "Sure."  
  
She smiled and put an arm around his shoulders as they walked towards the car.  
  
"You wouldn't mind cooking for five tonight would you?"  
  
Shinji's curiosity was met with Misato's sheepish grin, as she offered to explain on the way home. 

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Chrisitian stood in one of the main Tokyo-3 parks. He breathed in its scent and smiled. Oh how he missed this place. Before long, a cell phone in his shirt pocket began to ring. He glanced around, searching for any Section 2 agents, and finding none, he proceeded to pull it out.  
  
"Hey."  
  
He smiled as another voice rang through on the phone. He listened for a moment, before he remember exactly why he wanted this call. As the other voice began to talk, he pulled out the manila folder that held his profile.  
  
"I have a question. When were you going to tell me that you hacked into the government's central computer system and made me a special forces agent?"  
  
He could hear laughter. His irritation grew for a moment.  
  
"It's not funny, I could have been figured out! I barely made it through college with those degrees, let alone to supposedly be a government agent. Oh, and I loved that bit with ten martial arts. I've only studied a couple, what if they had wanted a demonstration or something?"  
  
He listened as the voice on the other end explained some things to him.  
  
"Yeah I know you did, and I really want to thank you, but next time, please try to keep it believable. I mean, I'm not the best liar right off the top of my head."  
  
More soft laughter could be heard. Finally the voice became inquisitive. He smiled lightly.  
  
"Yeah, everything is going according to plan." He took a quick look at his watch. "In fact, I have to go over to Major Katsuragi's house for dinner in a little bit. Time to meet the Children."  
  
The voice on the other end asked another question. Christian's face grimaced.  
  
"Yeah I met him, and he's a prick. We'll have to be careful when dealing with him, otherwise he'll know somethings up."  
  
A bit more came from the other end of the phone.  
  
"I know, but we'll just have to play it by ear. There's too much that can go wrong, and too little that can go right. I'll be careful, I promise."  
  
The voice on the other end said a few more things, before saying it's goodbye and hanging up. When the phone clicked off, Christian flicked it shut and placed it back into his pocket. When he glanced up he noticed a Section 2 agent across the street, also talking into a cell phone. Christian smiled a bit before walking off towards Misato's apartment.  
  
_Keeping tabs on me won't help you in the end..._

___**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_  


_  
_  
Shinji and Rei sat side by side at the kitchen table in Misato's apartment. She had already briefed them on the new bodyguard assigned to them, and was in the process of finishing her bath. Honestly, Shinji thought that it was a great idea. In the beginning he was a bit scared that Nerv would suddenly assign a bodyguard to them, but Misato had quelled those fears quite well.  
  
"There's nothing to be scared of Shinji. It's merely a precaution because of how important you are to Nerv. I know that Section-2 is usually assigned to the safety of the children, but just between you and me, I feel much safer having a professional watching out for you."  
  
Which was actually quite true to Shinji; it had taken Section-2 quite awhile to find him after he had tried to run away. Besides, Rei seemed perfectly alright with the idea, even though she showed little interest in it. Shinji stood up and began to pull a few things out for dinner, deciding that stir fry would probably be best for the evening, considering the varying tastes each person had. Rei sat still even as the young boy went about piling these together for dinner. Shinji turned and smiled at her lightly.  
  
"Do you think he'll be nice?"  
  
Rei's head tilted a bit to the side. "I do not know, I have never met him."  
  
Shinji's smiled faltered a little. "Well I know that, but I was just wondering if you think he will be nice."  
  
This time, Rei's face held a slightly questioning gaze. "Perhaps you have sustained some type of injury to your hearing Ikari. I said I do not know, I have never met him."  
  
Shinji sighed dejectedly. Even though Rei was a very intriguing girl, talking to her sometimes was like talking to a wall. His thoughts were interrupted however as Misato walked in, smiling brightly and wearing her 'normal' evening attire. Shinji's eyebrow raised as the older woman snatched a beer from the refrigerator and slammed it into the back of her throat.  
  
"Misato, shouldn't you wear something, I don't know...decent?"  
  
Misato looked at Shinji as if the poor boy had grown an extra head. "What? This is perfectly suitable. I don't believe he'll mind at all. Besides, he's pretty cute and what man wouldn't want to see a beautiful body like this walking around?"  
  
Shinji just sighed in defeat and continued to prepare the meal ahead. Without warning, the doorbell rang. Shinji turned to Misato, but saw that she was preoccupied with digging something out of the back of the refrigerator and didn't head the bell. Shinji turned to Rei, who was still sitting quietly at the table.  
  
"Rei, could you answer the door please?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
The stoic girl stood up and silently made her way to the door. She hit the side panel and the door slid to the side, revealing a young blonde haired man.   
  
Christian smiled brightly. "Why hello young lady!"  
  
Rei's expression didn't change in the least.as she stared up at the young man. "May I help you?"  
  
His smile lit up once again. "You wouldn't happen to be Rei Ayanami, would you?"  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
He grinned at her and extended his hand. "Christian Takashi, newly assigned bodyguard. I am quite please to make your acquaintance."  
  
Rei just stared at his hand, then looked back up to him. Her eyes narrowed, but they only took a second to glaze over. Almost as soon as it happened, it went away and the young red eyes girl shook her head lightly. Then without missing a beat she turned away from him and walked back into the apartment. "Major Katsuragi is awaiting your presence inside."  
  
Chrisitan smiled at the retreating girl, and walked through the doorway, placing his shoes next to the other few pairs by the entrance. He walked into the living room and smiled slightly, looking around the apartment and taking it all in.  
  
"Hello Mr. Takashi!"  
  
The young bodyguard turned to find his scantly clad superior officer in front of him. He facefaulted for a brief moment and stared at the purple haired beauty wondering how this could be the same woman he saw at Nerv not even a few hours ago. He saluted clumsily, as she pulled a beer out of nowhere and downed it in what some would consider an 'Alcoholic's Dream Swallow'. Misato laughed when she noticed him standing at attention in front of her.  
  
"Come on Christian, we're both pretty much off duty, so no need for formalities. I see you've already met the First Child, Rei. I know she doesn't talk much, but you'll get used to her. The Third Child, Shinji, is in the kitchen preparing dinner. You can go meet him if you want. He's a bit shy, so don't take any offense if he doesn't open up right away." Misato's cell phone chose that time to begin ringing from across the room. She picked it up and looked at the display, before turning back to the young man. "Excuse me a minute, I have to take this call."  
  
Christian nodded as Misato retreated to her bedroom. He looked around a bit more before taking a deep breath and walking towards the kitchen. The delightful smell of various spices wafted to his nostrils. He finally walked into the kitchen and smiled as a young brown haired boy walked back and forth from the stove to the counter, cooking and dicing ingredients at once.  
  
"Shinji Ikari?"  
  
The boy in question turned and found himself face to face with a young blonde haired man.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
Christian smiled. "Christian Takashi, newly assigned bodyguard. I am very pleased to meet you."  
  
Shinji stared at him for a moment, his eyes going foggy. His mind suddenly went blank though, and Shinji blinked a couple times trying to collect his thoughts. Finally, he looked up at the young man and smiled. The two extended hands and shook, Shinji smiling brightly.  
  
"It's really nice to meet you Mr. Takashi."  
  
"I'm not a superior Shinji, so there's no need to act like that. Christian works just as well."  
  
This time Shinji nodded and turned back around when he her his pan sizzling.   
  
"Make yourself at home if you'd like. Asuka should be home soon."  
  
Christian looked around, and began to take off his jacket. After hanging it on the small rack, he walked over to the cutting board that the Third Child had been using. "Mind if I help?"  
  
Shinji looked over, before a grateful expression fell on his face and he smiled. "Not at all!"

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Shinji and Misato sat on one end of the table while Christian and Rei occupied the other. Dinner was going along nicely, and Shinji had set aside a plate for the soon to be present Second Child. Conversation consisted of light talks about Nerv and it's Evangelion Units. Misato and Shinji asked the young bodyguard about a few things in America and how things worked about over there. Rei was quiet through most of dinner, only answering if she was asked a question. She watched the young blonde haired man with a bit of interest, but some would call it a discerning gaze, as she tried to find a label for him in her mind. As dinner made it to about the halfway point, the group could pick up the sound of the front door hissing open and the sound of a fiery girls claim that she had returned home.  
  
Asuka rounded the corner of the living room and walked into the kitchen, she smiled at the group before her eyes landed on the young blonde man. Her vision fogged a bit as she looked into his eyes. She could have sworn she recognized him for a brief instant. But before she could think on it further, her mind suddenly went blank and she completely forgot about what was on her mind. Shaking her head for a second, she finally raised a hand and pointed at him.  
  
"Who is that?"  
  
Misato sighed at the redhead's lack of manners, before ushering her over and making an introduction.  
  
"This is Christian Takashi, new bodyguard to Nerv. He's here to keep a close eye on all three of you." She then turned back to the young man. "This is Asuka, the Second Child."  
  
"I'm very glad to meet you Asuka."  
  
"Yeah...okay..."  
  
Asuka raised an eyebrow before looking over at Rei and scowling a little bit. She moved over to the empty seat and plopped down in it with a huff, tearing off the wrapping to her dinner and proceeded in chowing down. Pretty soon everyone began to eat a bit more. Only after a few minutes had passed, did Asuka look up and give the young man a scrutinizing look.  
  
"So Mr. Bodyguard, why did Nerv hire you in the first place? Misato lacking in her guardianship skills that badly?"  
  
Misato's face flushed red, and before she could reach over and strangle the young girl, Christian intervened.  
  
"Actually, Ms. Langley, security has been strengthened all over Nerv, and it was only fitting that they secure it around you three as well. Considering that you three are pretty much the lifeblood of Nerv, it was only the next logical step."  
  
Asuka beamed as he made his statement, and almost before he could finish, she was waving off at the other two Children. "Lifeblood is right! If it wasn't for me and my Unit Two, then Nerv probably would have already been overrun. As for Shinji and Wondergirl, I wouldn't exactly call them the lifeblood. More like the urine deposit or something."  
  
Shinji visibly bristled at that comment.  
  
"Hey, I am not! Rei and I are just as important as you Asuka."  
  
Asuka puffed out her chest a bit more. "Oh please, Third Child. I would have a hard time shoving my foot up your ass, you're so nervous and uptight all the time."  
  
Christian cleared his throat, before smiling slightly. "I was assigned to guard all three of you, so I highly doubt any of you are better then the others."  
  
Asuka 'hmphed' and returned to eating her food, as Shinji smiled and began to eat his. Rei had sat still glancing between the two the entire time, not really having an opinion at all. Misato smiled as well and returned to her food, satisfied that the situation was taken care of before it got to out of control. However, before anyone could fully settle into a normal eating routine again, Shinji looked up for a minute.  
  
"Misato, is it true that there's another Eva on it's way? Unit Three I believe. Kensuke mentioned it earlier today"  
  
Asuka stopped her eating and stared at the young pilot intently, while Misato suddenly choked out the beer she had been gulping down at that very moment. Shinji, not being nearly as dumb as Asuka says he is, caught onto her reaction instantly. His head drooped for a second.  
  
"It is, isn't it. That means that someone else will have to pilot."  
  
Misato got her coughing fit under control and placed a hand on the boys shoulder, before finally answering.  
  
"Shinji, I understand your concern, but there's no need to be worried. I mean, there are going to be many more pilots from what I understand. They've even been working on a Unit Four."  
  
Christian's eyes shot open the second that Misato's words left her mouth.  
  
"They've still got Unit Four?"  
  
All eyes turned to him, and he smiled sheepishly. He quickly wracked his brain. "Uh...sorry, it's just that I heard someone talking today about how they had lost Unit Four in an explosion or something in the Second Branch."  
  
Asuka stared at him with a raised eyebrow, even as she raised another bite of food to her mouth. She then mumbled with her mouth full. "Great, they get us a tweaker as a bodyguard. Welcome to Nerv's ultimate security plan..."  
  
Misato ignored Asuka's comment, and gently stared at the blonde man. "Well I hate to say it Christian, but whoever you heard talking was definitely wrong. We've still got the Second Branch, and they haven't even started the tests on Unit Four yet."  
  
Christian's jaw tightened as he forced a smile. "Oh, heh, sorry, my mistake."  
  
_Holy shit....._  
  
Feeling that he should quickly change the topic, Christian inquired again. "So who's the pilot of Unit-03?"  
  
This time, only Shinji missed the purple haired goddesses fidgeting. Her eyes darted to the brown haired boy sitting next to her. "W-well you see, there hasn't been a pilot chosen for it yet."  
  
Christian's eyes narrowed. "So, you're saying you don't know?"  
  
Misato nodded a little to vigorously. Asuka looked back and forth across the table, and decided that maybe retreating to her room was the best logical choice. She excused herself and quickly stood up, walking briskly to her room. The second that the door shut, Misato chose that time to retreat as well.  
  
"Well if you'll excuse me, I still have a bit of work to do. Shinji that was an excellent dinner as always. Christian, if you could please escort Rei home I'd greatly appreciate it."  
  
Before anyone could even get a word in, Misato was already on her way to the room. As her door slid shut, Shinji sighed out audibly. He began to slowly pick up the dishes around the table. Christian looked over, and began to help as well. He smiled at Rei, who also began to to help. She lightly began to wipe off the table as the two men walked into the kitchen. Shinji placed all of the dishes in the sink and began to run water over them. Christian disposed of some of the trash, before looking up at the somber young boy.  
  
"Anything wrong Shinji?"  
  
Shinji sighed and turned the water off, not even looking at his new bodyguard before speaking.  
  
"Sometimes...I just wish Misato would stop treating me like a kid, and tell me what's going on once in awhile. I hate all this being in the dark about what Nerv has going on. I mean, don't I have a right to know who my fellow pilots are going to be?" Realizing that he was starting to raise his voice, Shinji smiled apologetically. "Sorry."  
  
Christian smiled at the young boy, before placing a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Shinji, just because you feel left in the dark doesn't mean that Misato is trying to treat you like a child. I'm about her age, so I may know a thing or two about what she's thinking. Trust me, you're probably not the only person in the dark about certain things, but they will work themselves out. The only thing I can tell you is to keep your head up."  
  
Shinji couldn't help but smile. "Thanks Mr. Ta....I mean Christian..."  
  
The elder of the two smiled, looking over to Rei who was standing in the doorway waiting for him. "Ready Rei?"  
  
The girl nodded. The young bodyguard smiled and began to walk towards the exit, but before he reached it, he turned around.  
  
"Shinji, if you ever need to talk to someone, I'm right next door, or a phone call away. Don't hesitate. Just like Misato wants to be your friend rather then your guardian, I also want to be your friend rather than just your bodyguard. Is that understood?"  
  
Shinji stood there for a moment, before smiling brightly. "Yes."  
  
The young blonde smiled, before saying a quick goodbye, and escorting Rei down to his car.

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

"You are hiding something."  
  
The question was not quite a shock when she said it, however, it did catch him a little off guard in how short a time it took for her to say it. The statement was neither accusing nor commandeering. It was just a silent comment made by a silent girl.  
  
"What makes you say that Rei?"  
  
The girl in question looked at him from the passenger seat.  
  
"The manner in which you act hints that you are possibly hiding something."  
  
Christian nodded as if what she said had made sense. They drove for a few more minutes before he answered back.  
  
"What do you think it is that I'm hiding?"  
  
Rei just looked at him for a moment, before turning back to the road before her.  
  
"I...do not know."  
  
Christian nodded again and continued to drive down the road. Rei began to formulate small questions in her head, but before she could ask any of them, the blonde man next to her threw something out.  
  
"If you really believe that I'm hiding something, then I have to ask. Do you trust me enough to be your bodyguard?"  
  
Rei didn't answer for a long while. Christian just looked back at the road and continued to drive with the instructions Rei had given him to her house. When he had finally figured that she was done talking for the rest of the trip, the young indigo haired girl spoke up.  
  
"Yes..."  
  
He turned a questionable look her way. "What was that?"  
  
She turned and looked at him from her side of the car. "Yes, I trust you enough to be my bodyguard."  
  
The blonde man smiled. "And why is that you would trust me Rei, despite the fact that you feel I'm hiding something...?"  
  
Rei sat silent again. Before she could answer, they pulled up to the front of her apartment complex. The place looked dead and deserted. Rei sat in the car for a moment, her face in a somewhat thoughtful expression. She finally turned after a few more moments and faced him.  
  
"I...do not know why I do..."  
  
Without another word, the red eyed girl stood and began to walk towards the steps of the apartment compound. Christian looked at himself in the rear view mirror for a second, playing with something in his coat pocket. On a whim, he threw his door open and called out to the girl.  
  
"Rei!"  
  
The indigo haired cutey turned and stared at him intently, standing still as he made his way to her. When he made it up to her, he stood for a few moments, trying to think of what to say. After a moment of debate, he gave a soft sigh.  
  
"Look, Rei, I know that I can't tell you whether I am or am not hiding something. That's a decision only you can make for yourself. The only thing I can ask of you, is that you keep on trusting me. It's the only way I can ensure your safety." He took another breath before beginning again. "After talking with you and watching how you interact with everyone else, I can see that there are many things outside of your life that you don't understand..."  
  
Without letting her say anything, he pulled a small object out of his pocket, took her hand in his, and placed a cool object in her palm. With a questioning look, she glanced down at the small silver jeweled object that was just a bit bigger then her palm. Her eyebrows raised questioningly.  
  
"A mirror...?"  
  
Christian cut her off. "That was my foster mothers before she passed away. She used to stare into it for hours at a time. I never really understood why she did that until a bit before she passed away." He stopped for a moment and remembered what the woman he had come to love as family had told him. " 'Everyone wants answers to the questions they have in life. But if you looked hard enough at the person that stares back at you, that will be the person that will answer every question.'"  
  
Rei didn't even have to state that she didn't quite understand what he was saying as he spoke to her unasked question. "Basically Rei, she would look into that mirror when she would have a question about herself, and sooner or later, the person she saw in the mirror would answer it. So whenever you don't understand something or have a question about your life, or about who you are, I want you to look into that little mirror." He took one more breath before he began to walk back towards the car. "Because sooner or later Rei, the person you see in it, will eventually give you the answer you wanted to hear."  
  
Rei was somewhat speechless as she stared at the beautiful little artifact in her hands. Christian reached the car and was about to climb in, before he turned around and called out to her.   
  
"Rei, you know that offer I gave to Shinji right before we left? The one I told him about in the kitchen?"  
  
Rei looked up at him and nodded.  
  
"Feel free to do the same..."  
  
No other words were said as the young bodyguard climbed into the car and drove off. Rei looked off at the retreating automobile, before walking towards her apartment. She unknowingly held the small artifact quite tightly in her hand as she ascended the stairs, and if she had looked into it, she would have seen the small ghost of a smile that was on her lips.  
  
If she had looked into it, she probably also would have the seen the dark suited man that stood a bit out of sight, talking into his cell phone. 

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

After a few days, things began to fall into a relative routine. Christian had moved into the vacant apartment right next to Misato's, and he had started to be near the Children a bit more each day. He took them to school, picked them up, and did a bit of other guardianship errands. Of course half the time Asuka would shout about it being 'Misato's job to do' and 'Why have a bodyguard when there's no need to guard us?'  
  
Shinji would usually invite him over for dinner and he would come, considering no point in cooking only for himself. The few days he spent at Nerv while the Children were at school, he walked around and met most of the staff, and began helping Ritsuko and Maya with the research and development issues.  
  
The young bodyguard walked through the halls of Nerv with a stack of files in his hand. When the Commander had told him that his work with Ritsuko and Maya would be part time, he wondered, just what the hell part time meant to the stone cold person. He spent almost all of his time at Nerv helping Ritsuko and Maya with the various projects they were working on. Everything from filing folders and storing information, to helping to work on certain bugs in the Dummy Plug system.  
  
He approached the blonde doctor's office, and lightly rapped on the door. He stood there for a minute before a heard the doctors confirmation to enter. He gently slid the door open and noticed that she was on the phone. She smiled at him and waved him in, extending her hand for the folders he was holding. She continued to talk for awhile, flipping through the files and smiling when she saw that they were all in order.  
  
"So now would be a good time? Perfect, I'll be there in half an hour."  
  
Ritsuko hung up the phone and smiled placing the folder on a part of her desk, mentally noting to come back it later. She looked up at the enthusiastic young man and smiled. "I must say, you've really impressed me since you've come on board Mr. Christian. I like your work ethics."  
  
The man in question smiled and bowed politely. "Thank you Doctor. Anything else you need of me before I take off?"  
  
Ritsuko looked round for a moment before turning back to him. She took an inquisitive look and lightly tapped her forefinger against her lips. She finally stood and smiled at him. "Actually I was wondering if you might accompany me to the school the children are at."  
  
He raised an eyebrow and she smiled.  
  
"I wouldn't mind a little company when I meet with the Fourth Child."  
  
Ritsuko didn't notice the sudden flash of shock that passed through the young bodyguard's eyes. However, the look fled almost as soon as it had come. Christian smiled at her, albeit a bit forced.  
  
"It would be my pleasure." 

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Christian couldn't help but smile when one Touji Suzahara made his way into the principle's office. The boy looked a bit off guard when he noticed that the office held two more occupants than he had originally thought. The principle pulled out a chair and motioned for the athletic boy to sit down. Once he had taken a seat, Ritsuko had pulled out a folder and began flipping through it.  
  
"Touji, I presume?"  
  
The boy nodded slowly, still glancing between the two of them.  
  
"Do you know who we are?"  
  
Touji glanced a bit more, before finally answering. "You're the doc' that works for Nerv. You were there when me an' Kensuke got caught in...well...accidently boarded that robot with Shinji. An you..." He turned and looked at the young blonde man. "You're that new bodyguard or somethin' for Shinji, Asuka and Rei. I've seen you picking them up a few times."  
  
He nodded his head just as Ritsuko began to lean forward. "That's right. My name is Dr. Ritsuko Akagi and this is Christian Takashi. We're here for one purpose Mr. Suzahara..."  
  
The boy glanced up and straightened his back a bit as she leaned forward.  
  
"We would like you to come work for Nerv, as an Evangelion pilot."  
  
Touji glanced at the woman, who was giving him a supportive smile. He glanced at the young bodyguard, who was also giving a small smile.  
  
"What does this mean?"  
  
"What it means, Mr. Suzahara, is that you've been selected as the Fourth Child."  
  
Those words hit Touji like the backhand of an Eva. Millions of thoughts raced through his mind. He definitely didn't see this coming. He half expected to be reamed out again for having 'breached their protocol'. This was totally unexpected and he wasn't entirely sure he was pilot material. From what he could tell, being an Eva pilot was a huge responsibility, and Shinji and sometimes even Rei, would hint at their disdain for the things. But maybe, if he was working for Nerv, he could throw out a bargain. Maybe, just maybe he could...  
  
For her...for both of them...  
  
"I'll be a pilot..."  
  
Ritsuko smiled and leaned back.  
  
"...on one condition..."  
  
This however stopped Ritsuko in the middle of her movement. She gave the young dark haired boy a questionable look.  
  
"My sister was seriously injured when that first Angel attacked. I would like her moved from her current hospital to a better one. Better treatment, better care, and better support for her. There's also a...girl...in my class. Hikari Horaki is her name. If there's ever an emergency, I would like her escorted directly to Nerv, not to a shelter."  
  
Christian smile widened a bit, and Ritsuko had a look of confusion. Before long though, a smile came across her lips as well.  
  
"Very well. I can't promise you about Ms. Horaki, as Nerv is fairly strict about letting everyday civilians into the headquarters. I will definitely look into the matter though. As for your sister, I am very sorry to hear about her condition, and I will request that she be transferred to Nerv's special medical facility within headquarters."  
  
Touji smiled lightly, before holding out his hand. "Thanks..."  
  
Ritsuko smiled faintly and shook his hand. "Welcome to Nerv, Touji." 

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Only a day later, would Touji find himself aiming for a basket on the court outside of school. It was late in the afternoon, and the unfortunate boy had clean up duty for the day. He held his aim for a moment, and although his body was on Earth, getting ready to shoot, his mind was a million miles away. Naturally, his body shot up lightly and his arms arched forward. The ball sailed up and through the copper ring and bounced lightly on the ground.  
  
Touji sighed and slumped his shoulders as the ball rolled away from him. He never saw the shoe that stepped out and landed on the basketball, stopping it's travel. The dark haired boy looked over and finally noticed a young blonde man leaning over, picking up the ball.  
  
"You've got quite a nice shot. Wish I could play like you do."  
  
Touji recognized him instantly.  
  
"You're the guy from the interview...Mr. Takashi...right?"  
  
Christian smiled and nodded his head. "Christian will do just fine." Without another word, the blonde threw the ball into the air, watching as it also passed through the little copper ring. He smiled as Touji picked it up and lined up a shot and released it. It went through as well. This went on for a time, both taking turns and shooting, not missing a beat. Finally, Christian threw a little off and the ball bounced violently away from the ring, landing nicely in Touji's hands. The dark haired boy looked at the ball for awhile, thinking of something but not quite finding the words. Finally he looked up and met the blonde, eye to eye.  
  
"Do you think I'll be ok? Ya' know...bein' a pilot an' all?  
  
Christian put his hands in his pockets and stared at him intensely. "Honestly Touji, I don't know. I won't lie to you, what you're doing is not something a normal kid your age does. It's a big responsibility as well as....a risk. You're about to go out there and and fight things that no human can explain. But risks are something we take everyday. This risk is no bigger then the businessman that walks to work in the morning. For all he knows, he could get mugged, get hit by a car or choke on something he eats for breakfast. It just comes with the territory..."  
  
Touji's eyes dropped down to the ball in his hands and silently he lined up his shot and let it go. Once again, the ball went through the basket perfectly, and Christian was there under it to catch it on it's descent. He looked up at Touji, who had finally took to staring off at the sky. The athletic teen glanced over as Christian walked up to him.   
  
"It's a risk Touji, but I can sense that you're willing to take it, no matter what the cost. That's true courage there. Courage is in the people that know the risk they are taking, but meet it head on, and overcome it with all that they are. Cowards are those that know the risks but run. Cowards...well...they are the ones that run away..."  
  
Touji noticed that the blonde bodyguard seemed lost in his own thoughts, before handing him the ball and turning around. He began to slowly walk away. Once he got to the edge of the blacktop, Touji couldn't help but call out.  
  
"Christian...!"  
  
The man in question turned, looking at Touji expectantly. The dark haired boy fidgeted for a moment, trying to word what he had going through his head.  
  
"Ya' know, when Shinji first got here and I found out he was pilot, I wanted nothin' more then to hit him for what I felt he had done to my sister. I thought that he was a coward 'cause he didn't fight back. But not long after that, me an' a friend of mine got stuck in his Eva while he was fighting with an' Angel. It was then that I realized that he was probably stronger then me in every sense of the word. I actually began to envy him a bit, 'cause I saw power in him that I don't think he even knows he has yet. Maybe that's why I joined up, to see just how much strength I've got. Maybe I joined up because I want to be a hero...I honestly don't know. All I know, is that I don't want anyone to get hurt. If that means that I've got to slam the controls of some big ass robot then sign me up. So long as my sister and Hikari and Shinji and...and hell...everyone else in the world is safe, then I'm happy with just that..."  
  
Christian couldn't hold back a grin as he stared at Touji.  
  
"You don't need to pilot an Eva to find out if you have strength or not Touji. I think you just found all that you will ever need..."  
  
Without another word, the blonde walked away and into the distance. Touji didn't know how long he had been standing there, just staring at the sky. But when he finally put the basketball away and headed home, he welcomed the chance to finally protect those he held dear... 

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Christian silently chopped up vegetables for the dinner that Shinji was preparing on the stove. The two worked in tandem, moving around the kitchen with fluid motions. It wasn't long before the dish being prepared was served and the two were sitting at the table eating. Misato had left early that to head up North for the test of Unit-03. Asuka had decided to spend the night at Hikari's, so only the two young men were in the household. Besides the ever present little penguin that is...  
  
Shinji was in the middle of a bite when the phone suddenly rang. He got up slowly and answered it, happily saying hello to whoever was on the other end. After a few words he finally said goodbye and hung up, returning to the table. Christian gave him a question look when he came back into the room.  
  
"That was Misato, she was just calling to see how we were and to let us know that she and Ritsuko had arrived up north."  
  
Christian nodded and placed down his chopsticks, a somewhat sorrowful visage covering his features. Shinji noticed this and just looked at him, slowly chewing what was in his mouth.  
  
"Is there something wrong...?"  
  
The short haired bodyguard was pulled form his thoughts, before he gave Shinji a tired smile.  
  
"Nothing, just thinking."  
  
Shinji took another bite, never taking his eyes off the man sitting in front of him. Christian thought for a moment, before finally reaching around his neck, pulling a shiny platinum necklace from around it. Attached to the end was a platinum cross, also very beautiful. He looked at closely before putting it on the table and sliding it towards Shinji. The boy just looked at it with his mouth wide open, trying to think of something to say.  
  
"I want you to have this Shinji..."  
  
The boy looked at his bodyguard as if he had lost his mind. This was definitely out of nowhere...  
  
"I can't accept this...it's..wow..."  
  
Christian shook his head. "It's been kinda my good luck charm for a long time..."  
  
Shinji's hand trembled slightly as he picked it up and studied it. The surface of the necklace and the cross were flawless, and the shone with a high intensity. Before he could deny taking such a thing again, Christian spoke up.  
  
"You see, a long time ago, probably about ten years ago, I was walking with a woman I had known very well. She was strong, confident, and many things. I always looked up to her, but...well...I should have told her. Well, like I was saying, I was walking with her one day and then out of nowhere we were about to get...mugged... and the guy that was going to mug us had a gun. Before I had even known what happened, she had pushed me out of the way and took the bullet that was meant for me. Everything happened so fast that I didn't even understand what was going on. I only knew that she was...well...that she was dying. She always wore a silver cross around her neck, but I knew she wasn't religious. It was just a keepsake of hers. I never to got too see her again after that...she...well... I just didn't. Although that isn't the cross she wore, it's still a symbol that someone cared for me enough to give their life for me...at a time that I didn't even care for myself."  
  
Shinji just stared in awe as Christian told his story. The more he heard, the more he felt he didn't deserve something this important. But once again, he was too slow to disapprove of such a present as Christian kept on going.  
  
"I want you to have it for two reasons Shinji. When that woman pushed me out of the way, I ended up hitting the wall pretty hard. I fractured my wrist actually. But she had saved my life, even in the process of manhandling me to keep me safe." He chuckled a little as he thought about it. "That's reason number one, Shinji. That sometimes, even when you don't want to hurt someone or something, it's usually the only way to save them. So never be afraid of that fact..."  
  
Shinji just looked at him, still too shocked for words.  
  
"That necklace has always reminded me of who I am. It reminds me that there were people out there that cared about me, and that I would disgrace them and their memories, if I didn't live my life the way I should. That's reason number two, Shinji. Always remember, no matter what happens to you, no matter how bad things may seem, who you really are inside."  
  
Shinji stared at the piece of jewelry held in his hands. He wanted to say something, anything, to show just how grateful he was for such a thing. He didn't get a chance though, as Christian stood up.  
  
"If you'll excuse me Shinji, I'm not feeling to well at the moment. I think I'm going to head home."  
  
The brown haired boy could only nod his head as Christian began to make his way to the door. But before he left the kitchen, he turned around, finding the young boy still engrossed in what he held in his hands.  
  
"If you really want to pay me back for that Shinji, then all I ask, is that you stop by my place four times a week. I would like to teach you a few things that might help bring up your self esteem a bit, as well as train you in a few basic martial arts. Besides, you're the pilot there, I figured you could put it's luck to better use then I could..."  
  
When Christian turned around, he was stopped as he heard his named called. He looked back over his shoulder to see dark blue eyes staring at him intensely.  
  
"Thank you very much..."  
  
The man smiled but didn't answer as he walked out of the front door. When it closed, he slumped against it lightly.  
  
_God, please look out for these children tomorrow. They will need you more then ever..._

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

Shinji sat quietly inside Unit-01. He and the girls had been briefed quickly as to the situation that an Angel was on it's way towards Tokyo-03. He was slightly caught off guard when the alarms had sounded while he was at school. When the three of them had gone outside for transport, Christian was there waiting to pick them up. He was fairly worried about Misato as well, after an explosion had been reported up north where she was at.  
  
"If Misato isn't here, then who's going to command the mission?"  
  
Shinji's inquiry was answered by the stoic voice of Rei.  
  
"Commander Ikari is commanding the mission directly..."  
  
Shinji's eyes couldn't help but narrow.  
  
Father...  
  
"Target has been sighted..."  
  
A screen suddenly popped up in front of Shinji at the sound of Maya's voice. The poor boy wasn't quite ready to see the lumbering form of an Evangelion, walking menacingly down the highway. Shinji's eyes widened as it seemed to march slowly, not caring about anything or anyone in its path. His brain went into overdrive as the knowing thought that another human being was trapped in that thing popped up.  
  
"There's a person inside that thing..."  
  
Before he could think more on it, Asuka's flaming voice could be heard through the intercom.  
  
"What?! You mean you still don't know?! The pilot is....!"  
  
Before she could finish whatever it was she was saying, the sudden sound of static had cut her off. Shinji panicked for a moment, not knowing what was going on. Finally, Maya's voice broke through again.  
  
"Unit Two is down! I repeat, Unit Two is down!"  
  
"Rei, stop the Angel."  
  
Shinji couldn't believe what he was hearing. He called out for Asuka a few times before listening to Commander Ikari give orders to Rei. Shinji grit his teeth hard enough to hurt. There was another living being inside that thing, and everyone was just treating it as if it were inconsequential. He finally heard Rei confirm sight of the target, and that it had passed her by. Shinji damn near jumped out of his position when he heard Rei's surprised yelp and heard her struggling with the adversary. Maya's voice began shouting something of the Angel trying to merge with Unit-00.  
  
"Sever the arm."  
  
"But the pilot is still synched with Unit Zero!"  
  
"I said, cut...it...off!"  
  
Shinji couldn't believe what he was hearing.  
  
That son of a...  
  
His blood ran cold though before he could even finish the thought. Rei's scream of pain was like a slap to the face. Before he could even start breathing again, the voice of the one he hated rang through.  
  
"Unit One, the target is closing it. Stop it at all costs."  
  
Shinji stared ahead, terrified as Unit-03 came into view. His lip trembled slightly as the opposing Eva looked in his direction. It looked at him with the blank eyes of a murderer...  
  
"But, there's someone inside of that thing.."  
  
"Irrelevant. It is an Angel. Destroy the target."  
  
"But..."  
  
Before the conversation could even think of continuing, the black Eva twisted and jerked as if it's skin were on fire. With a bestial roar it jumped high into the air, and landed only a few hundred meters from Unit-01. It stared at it's adversary from all fours, sizing him up like a wolf with it's prey. Then, without warning, it shot up at Unit-01, it's hands wrapped cleanly around it's neck.  
  
Inside, Shinji was struggling to breath, his neck constricting just like his Eva's. His vision began to blur and tears formed at the corner of his eyes.  
  
"Unit One. Destroy the target."  
  
Shinji gritted his teeth.  
  
"I can't! There's...a human being...inside..."  
  
"It will kill you..."  
  
"I'd rather die...!"  
  
Shinji didn't know what he hated hearing worse. The sound of his neck slowly being crushed, or the sound of the Commander ordering the activation of the Dummy Plug. Shinji could only faintly here Maya's voice of protest before she agreed.  
  
However, in that one split second of hesitation, did destiny finally change...  
  
Shinji's mind reeled for a moment, before a thought struck him hard.  
  
_Sometimes, even when you don't want to hurt someone or something, it's usually the only way to save them. So never be afraid of that fact..._  
  
Shinji didn't know why he thought of the advise his bodyguard had given him, or why it seemed to ring out to him like a bell. But something in him changed in that single instant. He looked into the eyes of Unit-03 and slowly begged for forgiveness of whoever was inside. He barely registered Maya's voice of surprise, when he activated his Progressive Knife.  
  
The black Eva didn't have a snowball's chance in hell when the purple arm of Unit-01 came blurring by with blade in hand. The slice was clean through the elbow, and the Eva reeled back with a roar of anguish at the loss of its arm. Shinji gasped for air as the pressure on his neck suddenly lifted. It was short lived however, as the black death in front of him used what strength it had in it's left arm to throw him a few hundred yards away.  
  
Shinji hit hard on his back, the air being forced from his lungs. He barely had time to get his bearings as Unit-03 launched itself at him. Shinji acted quickly, and brought up both of Unit-01's feet, and planting them firmly against the opposing Eva's stomach as it came crashing down. Using it's own momentum against it, Shinji rolled Unit-01 backwards, kicking off the black beast and throwing it hard behind him. He quickly scrambled to his feet.  
  
He gasped as he noticed something on the back of Unit-03. The entry plug of the pilot. It was stuck to something that seemed like webbing on the back of the Eva's neck. With a new idea and renewed vigor, Shinji ran quickly towards the fallen form of Unit-03, who was at that time getting to it's feet. Without thinking, he jumped squarely onto it's back, and doing his damnedest to hold it down as it struggled manically. He shoved his hand into it's neck as hard as he could, grabbing the entry plug and ripping it free of it's prison. Shinji fell back and cheered mentally when he noticed the still intact cylinder in his hands.  
  
Although destiny had become nice and changed for Shinji, fate had decided to be a prick and be stubborn. The two forces never did agree on anything...  
  
The split second Shinji took to inspect the plug in his hands, was all that Unit-03 needed to bounce up and swing at the purple monstrosity. It missed Shinji completely, but it accidentally slammed into Unit-01's hand. The one holding the entry plug...  
  
Before Shinji could even do anything, the force of the hit shot the plug of his hand like a bullet, before it smashed into the street and continued to slide until it rammed into the side of the building. There was no way that the person inside could have been alive after that. There was no padding, so safety belts, nothing in that plug, that would have held whoever it was inside from being thrown around.  
  
Shinji's mind went blank, and he stared stupidly at what was left of the white piece of metal. Red ran over his eyes, and before he knew it, he could even think straight. Only one thing pounded it's way into his brain...  
  
**KILL**  
  
With a scream that would come to haunt the entire control room of Nerv, Unit-01 slammed into the form of Unit-03, making them both crash to the ground. Shinji screamed wildly, even as his Eva's hands closed around the black creatures head. It's cries of pain fell upon deaf ears, as Unit-01 began to squeeze with all of it's might. It's arm flailed around wildly, before it began to try and push the purple being away by it's face. It didn't help as Shinji just squeezed harder. Somewhere, deep within Shinji's throat, one, deafening word made it's way through.  
  
_**"DIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"**_  
  
And that's exactly what the black Eva did...  
  
Without warning, the pressure from Unit-01's hands came through, and Unit-03's head exploded like a piñata of brains and blood. It's arm went rigid for a moment, before falling limply to its side.  
  
Shinji didn't know when the tears started. When he was being choked. When was trying to save the other pilots life. Or when he had finally heard Maya sadly announce the neutralization of the target. All that mattered to Shinji is that he had failed. He may have destroyed what was intended. But inside...  
  
He had truly failed...

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

"S-Shinji?"  
  
"Misato, you're ok?!"  
  
Shinji didn't seem to notice the sadness that had laced Misato's voice, nor the sound that she had indeed been crying.  
  
"Shinji, there's something important I have to tell you..."  
  
The second those words left her mouth, Shinji looked at the vehicles that were surrounding the form of the entry plug.  
  
"Shinji, the pilot of Unit-03 is..."  
  
His eyes widened a bit as he noticed that they had opened it and were pulling someone out of it.  
  
"The pilot is..."  
  
Shinji zoomed in. Then he zoomed in again. Then once more. And before he could even breath, and before he could even think, the absolute truth of what had occurred, hit him like a freight train.  
  
Misato couldn't take it, and had to turn off the com unit halfway through his scream...

_**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**_

A few miles away, a lone figure stood on one of the tallest buildings in Tokyo-03. His jacket fluttered lightly behind him as he stared at the hunched silhouette that lay a few miles north of him. He pulled out a cell phone and dialed a number he knew all to well. A voice answered on the other end.  
  
"It's me..."  
  
It was unfortunate for him, that the person on the phone knew him so well. Otherwise, they would have never known he was crying...

* * *

Author's Notes:  
  
Holy crap was that hard to write. Each time I finally thought I had a scene, I would erase it, pace around my apartment for damn near an hour, then sit back down and try to write it again. I'll tell you, this is definitely nerve wracking sometimes. But I enjoy it nonetheless. ;) Thanks to everyone that reviewed. I love you guys. Once again, those reviews were the sole reason I kept writing. Reading them was the fire under my ass to get this done. I enjoy writing, but I enjoy hearing that everyone enjoyed it all the more. I promised you all that I would make my chapters longer and VIOLA. Ask, and ye shall receive. :)  
  
The plot is finally starting to thicken, as I'm sure you all can tell. ;) I know I said that Shinji is the main character. And trust me, he still is. But unfortunately, Christian has to be in the spotlight a bit longer, since he's the new character and still needs a bit more molding. But soon the spotlight will shift and Shinji will take his rightful place. I just hope that I met up to everyone expectations. I know you all had high hopes, and I am praying that I'm not letting any of you down. So please, let me know how I'm doing.  
  
Until I see you all again, please, take care of yourselves.  
  
_**xxxxx **_Chris **_xxxxx  
  
_**Thalarian T.M. Productions 


	4. Chapter 3: If I Am To Die

**Special Author's Note: I wish to apologize to everyone that noticed I had updated a few times, but found no new chapter. As it turns out, wouldn't recognize this chapter, and I didn't quite catch it. I tried resubmitting it quite a bit, but each time either the formatting was off, or it didn't even register a new chapter at all. I contacted a few times about the problem and they finally responded that the problem had been fixed.  
  
Apparently I'm not the only person who's suffered from this. :(  
  
Anyways, I've submitted the new chapter and it seems to be finally showing up. Let's just hope this isn't going to be a continuous problem with future installments.**  
  
Disclaimer: See the first chapter.  
  
Thalarian T.M. Productions Presents:

* * *

Neon Genesis Evangelion:  
  
Project Blue Blood - Chapter 3: If I Am To Die_

* * *

I will kill him...  
  
I will kill him...  
  
I will kill....  
  
Kill...  
  
Kill...  
_  
Throughout the existence of mankind, Time always had a way of feeling eternal when you were waiting for something. Waiting for that one special phone call from the girl you asked to prom. Waiting to see if the boss is going to give you the promotion you've been working towards for 13 years. Waiting for the damn light to turn green when your car is at the front of the line in traffic. It always had a sense of dragging on and on...teasing you with how close your goal was.  
  
Well, Shinji was sure that he had waited an eternity for Unit-01 to be loaded in the docking bay in Nerv. For 10 hours he had planned every possible outcome for what he was about to do. Every single scenario that he could think up, he did. He had a plan, then another plan, then another. Nothing would be left to chance. Nothing would go wrong.  
  
Come on, he had an eternity to think about it, right?  
  
He knew the inside of his fingers and palms had to probably be bleeding inside his plugsuit by now. Clutching the controls of an Eva with all your might for nearly 5 hours would do that. These last few moments stretched on so long that he almost screamed in frustration. He had cut off all communications nearly an hour ago, as they finally began to become a distraction for the figuring of his plan. Silently, he waited, until he felt a tremble in the cockpit. This signaled that the final safety lock was in place. Shinji activated his vision screen, watching as operators and various Nerv personnel filed out of the dock area. This was his window. He would strike now, while everyone was out of harms way. There would be no unnecessary casualties...  
  
_Touji..._  
  
No more then there already were, that is.  
  
Finally, Shinji activated his comm channel, hearing the end of Maya confirming the successful docking of Unit-01. This was it. He shifted the comm channel to the entire control center, in hopes of catching his father.  
  
"Commander Ikari..."  
  
He could hear a few shuffled gasps from numerous people on the bridge. Suddenly, Maya's voice chimed through.  
  
"Shinji? Are you okay?! When you shut off your communication we had thought..."  
  
Her voice was severed off as Shinji's cut through it.  
  
"Did you know Touji was the Fourth Child?"  
  
A screeching halt came to any conversations that were currently being held in the control center. Every head turned to the giant view screen that held the partially hidden face of the tortured Third Child. His grip was firmly planted on the controls of Unit-01, and some could even see the faint line in his jaw, hinting at it clenching.  
  
Gendo sat perfectly still, his form not moving an inch. His hands never became unlocked, nor did his features waver once at any hint of danger coming from his son. He sat in silence. That was, until Shinji's voice oozed venom through the comm system once again.  
  
"Did...you...know..."  
  
Every word dripped with it, almost burning the cables in which the transmission was being pushed through.  
  
"Shinji please calm down...nobody wanted any of this to happen! It's not the Commander's fault!"  
  
Maya's voice almost made the poor boy reconsider his original goal. That was, until the Commander's freezing tone met Shinji's acidic one, both battling in which would be the first to finally scare the entire control room.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Unfortunately for Maya, almost wasn't good enough.  
  
Shinji's head sunk a little lower, before he punched a small command into one of his controls. Without warning, his Eva came to life, the systems whirring and buzzing as blood pumped through Unit-01's veins. It's eyes lit up, and a small screen shot up next to Shinji.  
  
**Time Remaining In Backup Battery: 3:02.87 Minutes  
**  
That was 182 seconds...  
  
That was more than enough time to get to him...  
  
Shinji turned slightly, looking directly into the video feed of the control room as he heard many voices shouting back and forth. His face held no malice, nor resentment, and no hate. It was just an emotionless mask that for the first time ever, resembled any relationship between father and son. It was his voice however, devoid of emotion as it was, that made everyone in the control room panic.  
  
"I am coming to kill you Father..."  
  
Not a split-second after the declaration, was Unit-01 reaching up, and pulling on the safety locks that held it. Metal screamed as it was torn away from the angry Eva, protesting at being bent from it's molded form. Unit-01 braced its hands behind itself, before pushing with all its might. The safety locks holding the Eva from its rear gave way, screeching and churning as they were also ripped free from their stands.  
  
Unit-01 was free and it only had one thing in mind.  
  
_Vengeance._  
  
Pulling back, it slammed it's fist down into the catwalk that stood before it, blocking it from the path that would eventually lead it to the demise of one Gendo Ikari. Smashing through the poor metallic walkway, Unit-01 broke into a sprint, smashing into one of the walls in front of it. Shinji knew that through this wall, was one more docking bay, then past that, there would be nothing but one final wall coming between it and it's prey.  
  
Unit-01 mercilessly slammed it's body weight into the wall, before it buckled and broke down, small explosions rocketing through as electrical wiring and other constructs were demolished in the purple beasts wake. Shinji willed the Eva to run as fast as it could through the electrical inferno. It was now in the second docking bay, and only one more wall stood between it and it's target. The boy could hear the screams and shouts from everyone in the control center radiating over his comm.  
  
Shinji threw the Eva forward, plowing into even more catwalks, smashing and breaking through anything that was poor enough to be in his way. He was drawing close to the final wall. One that he knew was backed with 50 feet of solid steel and concrete. One, that in mere seconds, would be reduced to aluminum foil on his way to victory.  
  
Everyone in the control room screamed as the wall to their left suddenly boomed with an ear shattering thud. They were only offered a few seconds of silence, before repeated thuds could be heard, as Unit-01's fist slammed into it again and again. Maya screamed frantically before the Commander's voice took charge once again.  
  
"Increase the LCL pressure in the plug by one hundred percent!"  
  
Maya looked up at him in disbelief, before shouting back.  
  
"But that could cause serious damage to the pil...!"  
  
Her words were cut short as a purple fist plowed through the wall. Without another word, she shot the command into her terminal as fast as her slender hands could move.  
  
Shinji was just about to pull back the Eva's arm, before everything went red in the plug. He looked around for a second, before he suddenly felt like someone had wrapped a steel wire around his head and were pulling with all their might. He knew exactly what had happened, and with a breath that felt like it crushed his lungs, he managed two words...  
  
_Damn him...  
  
**--------------------------------------------------------------------**_  
  
The blonde scientist looked upon the fallen body of Unit-03, sighing and shaking her head. Of course America would end up sending them an Evangelion that had a damn Angel inside of it. She calmly stepped over the blood that had solidified itself to the ground, making her way to the giant black husk. She silently let herself take in the horrors of that which she had helped keep in control. Slowly though, she could see, that control was starting to slip away.  
  
"This is insane..."  
  
The blonde woman turned her bandaged head to her companion, who's arm was dressed in a sling. Misato walked up next to Ritsuko, also letting her mind absorb the feral carnage that had taken place no less then 12 hours ago. She sighed and placed a hand on her head.  
  
"You feeling ok, Misato?"  
  
The woman in question nodded, looking back up at the headless Eva.  
  
"I'm fine. I'm more concerned about Shinji..."  
  
Ritsuko nodded, looking back at the object of their attention.  
  
"From what I heard, they had to cut open the entry plug and remove him forcibly. He ended up thrashing about when they tried to remove him. So as of this moment, he's in intensive care, heavily sedated. They are monitoring his mind waves and trying to determine if he had a mental breakdown."  
  
Misato's heavy breath could be heard, as she hung her head.  
  
"What are they going to do to him?"  
  
The blonde just shrugged, figuring that the truth would be the best thing for her long time friend.  
  
"No one knows for sure. The Committee has become involved, so it somewhat complicates matters. Sub-Commander Fyuutski is trying to claim that Shinji had a breakdown, and that caused his Evangelion to lose control of itself. However, a few U.N. officials that are involved as well are claiming that the attack was to well planned to have been the cause of any kind of breakdown or mind contamination. Shinji knew exactly what he was going for and where it was, especially since no one was hurt in the incident. They are even trying to claim treason."  
  
Misato cursed under her breath, disbelief marking her features. "Shit..."  
  
The two stood there for awhile, just staring off into the sky, or at least what they could see past the giant body that lay before them. Ritsuko finally raised her arms, stretching her back.  
  
"Well, I guess there is some silver lining in every black cloud. Due to Shinji's timely intervention, and even despite it's injuries, Unit-03 can be salvaged. The right arm and head will have to be regenerated of course, but that can easily be done. It is, however, time consuming. It should be ready for combat in about two months."  
  
Misato's teeth grit. "Silver lining? The damn thing won't have a pilot if I'm not mistaken Ritsu' ...because if I remember correctly, Shinji's best friend isn't around anymore to even take the controls! You tell me how that's a god damn silver lining!"  
  
Ritsuko couldn't help but smirk, making Misato even more furious. Before the purple haired goddess could reach over and smack her, Ritsuko replied faintly.  
  
"Where do you get your information from Miso' ? Because they are obviously quite unreliable..."  
  
**_--------------------------------------------------------------------_**  
  
_God damn that light is bright..._  
  
Slowly cracking his eyes, the dark haired boy tried to take in his surroundings. He couldn't really make anything out at the moment, the images nothing more then blurry fragments trying to piece themselves into pictures. He laid there for a moment, letting the throbbing in his head calm down. He couldn't remember much, just sitting in the entry plug and waving to Misato. Then the plug had turned blood red and he felt something stab into his brain. Then, there was darkness.  
  
He blinked a few more times, and slowly, his vision came back to him. He lifted his left arm and tried to wipe his eye, only finding the rough fabric of a cast. He looked at his arm in surprise, before looking down the bed a bit, and noticing his left leg in a similar cast, suspended a bit in the air.  
  
"Well now, seems that you're up."  
  
Touji looked over to the side groggily, squinting as he faced the light coming out of the window.  
  
"Christian...?"  
  
The man in question smiled, walking over to the bedside.  
  
"You had us all scared for a moment Touji."  
  
The athletic boy just looked up in a drug induced state. He pushed himself back, trying to prop himself into a sitting position. Christian reached out and took him under each arm, helping him up. Touji sat there for a moment, taking a few deep breaths. Finally, he looked to his side and noticed Shinji in the bed adjacent from him.  
  
"What's Shinji doin' here?"  
  
Christian looked over at the brown haired boy that was sleeping peacefully in his bed. The young bodyguard sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  
  
"Well it's somewhat of a long story..."  
  
Touji sat and listened intently as the man before him relayed all the events that had come to past. Everything from that fight between his Eva and Shinji's. The rampage that Shinji had gone on after they had brought him back in Nerv headquarters. The event of him being extracted from his plug, and being sedated. Touji's face fell more and more as each new piece of information was digested in the bell of his brain. Finally, Christian finished, allowing the athletic boy to fully understand everything that had transpired.  
  
"If everythin' you said is true, then how did I survive?"  
  
Christian was completely ready for the question placed before him.  
  
"When your plug sustained massive damage after being thrown from the fight, everyone believed you dead. I...was one of them to tell you the truth. The sheer speed and velocity of the plug alone could have shaken you around harder then anything you could probably ever experience in your life. Given the fact that the pilot restraints weren't designed to handle that kind of pressure, it was just determined that you had no way of surviving. That was until the recovery team tore open your entry plug..."  
  
Touji's ears picked up the semi-silent sigh of relief that escaped the blonde's mouth.  
  
"Amazingly enough, the Angel's presence in your Eva created a somewhat organic tissue around the inside of your plug. The tissue acted as a kind of 'padding' you could say, which saved your body from being smashed against the hard metal of the entry plug. It's also the material that held the damn plug together in the first place. From what I've gathered from the recovery team and a few technicians here at Nerv, if that organic material had not been present in your plug, then it would have shattered into a million pieces when it finally came to a stop. Entry plugs weren't exactly designed to sustain extremely high impact situations."  
  
Touji laid his head back, allowing everything to finally sink in. He looked over at Shinji. Despite the worry for the well being of his friend, a sense of pride also came over him. Shinji risked everything to smash through Nerv, just to avenge someone that, at that time, he believed to be dead. The pilot of Unit-01 knew that what he was doing could very well have him executed, but decided it was worth it. To Touji, as demented as it was, that was a true kind of friendship.  
  
Christian cleared his throat, breaking the boy from his thoughts.  
  
"Asuka and Rei are waiting for me down in the lounge. They still have to get changed before I take them home. The doctor's are going to hold you for a few more days before they release you. You've been checked for any mental contamination, and all tests came up negative. So you should be back on your feet before you know it. I'll be back then to escort you home."  
  
Touji glanced at the older man. "Escort me home? What are you talkin' 'bout?"  
  
Christian glanced at his watch, smiling. "Well, in a couple weeks you should be back up to one hundred percent health right? Last time I checked, you were still the Fourth Child. So...it's my job to make sure you are safe and sound in emergencies. Any objections?"  
  
Touji couldn't help but chuckle lightly, shaking is head negatively. Christian grinned before helping the boy back into a laying position.  
  
Touji felt the sedatives finally kicking in again, his eyes betraying him. He finally muttered a few last words. "Told ya' Shinji had strength he didn' know he had..."  
  
As the boy fell asleep, Christian smiled faintly. He reached out and adjusted the blanket to wrap around the athletic boys shoulders.  
  
"And I told you that you didn't a robot to prove that you had it too..."  
  
**_--------------------------------------------------------------------_**  
  
Asuka leaned back against the wall, both arms crossed behind her back. A small gauze pad was nestled on the side of her cheek. A few feet away, Rei sat silently on one of the lounge benches. Her face betrayed no emotions as she sat, hands together in her lap. They both kept silent, one not caring to talk, and the other having nothing to say. Finally, the fiery redheaded muttered something under a deep breath.  
  
"Stupid Shinji and his stupid Eva..."  
  
As silent as the statement was, it did reach the ears of her crimson eyed companion. The indigo haired cutey sat there for a moment, formulating something in her mind.  
  
"Why do you say that Ikari is...stupid?"  
  
The sudden question threw Asuka off guard, and she looked at Rei as if she had just stood up and farted. It only took a minute before the German beauty let her mouth run wild.  
  
"What the hell do you think Wondergirl? First, he beats the Angel that neither of us could take down. Well...I was distracted anyways, otherwise I would have done it myself. Then he goes and trashes half of the Eva cages in a damn temper tantrum. If it wasn't for that fact that they locked down half of Nerv the second he tore his Eva free, I would already be dressed and on my damn way home."  
  
With that said, the redhead pulled her arms from around her back, and crossed them in front of her chest. The irritation was plainly evident on her face, and Rei thought to herself for a moment, before finally speaking up.  
  
"Would you have acted any different if the pilot had been Representative Horaki?"  
  
That single question hit Asuka like a freight train, making the German beauty actually think about the situation for the first time. Although Asuka would never admit it outright, Wondergirl did have a decent point when it came to this. Asuka just shook her head, leaning back again and looking back up at the ceiling.  
  
"Doesn't matter anyways. He's already been detained and probably thinks that this is all a dream by now."  
  
"A dream?"  
  
Asuka almost fell over when she heard the soft question spoken by the pale pilot sitting on the bench next to her. If it wasn't for the fact that Asuka knew Rei hardly understood anything that people talked about around her, she probably would have laughed.  
  
"Yeah, a dream. You do dream, don't you?"  
  
Rei just sat there, looking ahead, as if searching for something that no one else could see. Asuka stared at the crimson eyed girl, before giving a small huff and turning back to her own thoughts. Not a minute after the two fell back into a relative silence, did Christian come walking around the corner. Asuka didn't even greet him before she threw her hands into the air.  
  
"Finally! Are we off lock-down now?"  
  
The young bodyguard smiled and nodded his head, causing Asuka to go into another rant about how she was going to kick the Third Child's ass. She brushed past the blonde bodyguard, making her way down the hallway. He just rolled his eyes, smiling as Rei walked up to him.  
  
"Will Ikari be ok?"  
  
Christian nodded to the girl, and she seemed to suddenly be relieved. Although she kept it hidden very well. She bowed lightly before walking past him and towards the locker rooms.  
  
**_--------------------------------------------------------------------_**  
  
It had been two days after the destruction Eva Unit-01 wrought on Nerv Headquarters. Two days since Shinji Ikari tried with all his might, to end a human life. Early this morning, Shinji had finally awoken from his sedated slumber, and found himself being clothed, cuffed and escorted to a cell, where he waited for several hours. Finally, the thin stream of light that made it's way through the cell door, expanded, bringing with it the shadow of a human form.  
  
"Shinji Ikari? The Commander wants to see you."  
  
If it wasn't for the fact that he was being restrained by a set of steel handcuffs, as well as being escorted by two Section-2 agents, Shinji probably would have grabbed for the first lethal object within reach. The hallways seemed to stretch on forever as one of the agents led him by the shoulder. They finally stopped at a large double steel door, something that, just like in the movies, would usually spell peril for a hero.  
  
The doors revealed a sea of cold steel, with a desk for an island, set near the back. Shinji's eye's narrowed as he found the all too familiar silhouette sitting behind the metal obstruction. The agent that had a hand on his shoulder gently pushed him forward, before slamming the double wide frames behind him. Shinji's resolve kicked in and he walked forward, hands still bound in front of him. He walked like a man on Death Row, features never wavering, steps never faltering, until he finally stood before his executioner.  
  
Gendo Ikari's features were just as disheartening as Shinji Ikari's, that being the only thing that showed that the two were related in any way shape or form. The Commander's hands never left his face, and the two seemed to be in a staring contest, trying to size the other up. It was the steely voice of the elder Ikari that finally cut through the seemingly lower then normal temperature in the office.  
  
"Using an Eva for personal, and childish vendetta's. Disregarding several direct orders from superior officers. Causing sever damage to Nerv headquarters. Threatening the lives of each individual at Nerv. Making an attempt on a superior officer's life." Gendo's eye's narrowed behind his amber glasses. "These are all extreme offenses. Some even accountable as terroristic actions. Do you have anything to say for yourself?"  
  
Shinji said nothing, just standing there like a forgotten statue.  
  
"Luckily for you, Sub-Commander Fyuutski has had the heart to explain to outside officials the...circumstances...which surrounded your actions two days ago. Thus, you will not be executed for treason. Is that understood?"  
  
"I will not pilot again."  
  
Gendo's features never shifted when Shinji answered directly after that statement. It was to be expected that the boy would refuse to pilot after such an ordeal.  
  
"I must inform you, that the Fourth Child is alive and in intensive care. He will continue to be the pilot to Evangelion Unit Three. Under these conditions, will you still refuse to pilot?"  
  
Once again, Gendo's only answer was the echo of his own voice bouncing of the metal frames in his office. The two continued to stare at one another, neither wavering, and neither gaining ground. Finally, it was once again the Commander's voice that presented itself.  
  
"Then you are hereby removed from Nerv. We will continue without your...presence."  
  
Shinji didn't say a word as he turned and began to walk back towards the steel frame that led him into the Devil's Den in the first place. He only stopped when that devil made one final comment.  
  
"I'm disappointed in you. I take it we won't meet again."  
  
The query was more a statement then it was a question. Shinji just stopped, staring straight ahead, before he began walking again. If it were up to him, he'd never meet that monster again.  
  
**_--------------------------------------------------------------------_**  
  
Melons were quite a thing of beauty. They had an appealing look, an even more favorable flavor, and if captured in the essence of a candle, an even more tantalizing smell. That is why one Mr. Kaji had always loved to grow melons, because no matter how you looked at them, they had the epitome of beauty written all over them. Of course, to him...  
  
Melons were also just like one purple haired companion he had fallen in love with at college. Beauty, taste and fragrance were something that his fruits had in common with the strong will goddess.  
  
That alone made Kaji laugh lightly.  
  
The laugh was cut short though when he heard the soft sound of rustling bushes. He glanced to his right, just in time to see a young blonde man step through the ever growing foliage. He smiled, greeting his newfound guest.  
  
"Mr. Takashi! What a pleasure it is to see you."  
  
The young bodyguard smiled brightly, walking as if he didn't have a care in the world. He looked from the fruits on the ground, back up to the smiling yet stubble filled face of Kaji. He trudged over slowly, motioning to the plump green plants growing at the special agent's feet.  
  
"Melons, Mr. Kaji? I never would have guessed. Of course, I have don't have much room to talk. I sometimes like to cook in my free time."  
  
Kaji laughed out loud, sprinkling a bit more water. His laughter prompted the blonde bodyguard to follow suit, and soon, the two grown men were laughing like children. After a few moments, it died down, and Kaji gave Christian a genuine smile.  
  
"Yes we all have our secret passions in life. If anyone knew I grew melons for enjoyment, then my reputation at Nerv might come into jeapordy..."  
  
He offered Christian another genuine smile, before proceeding with his train of conversation.  
  
"Of course, if some people knew about your secret, then your reputation might come into jeopardy as well."  
  
This caught the young blonde's attention and he slowly looked at the stubbly man standing next to him. His eyes narrowed lightly as a smile spread across Kaji's face. Christian continued to read him, trying to find some hint of malice or betrayal in his voice or features. After several moments, Christian closed his eyes., sighing, and placing a hand against his forehead.  
  
"And exactly what is my secret, Kaji?"  
  
The man smiled a bit more, squatting down and evening out some of the dirt that had clumped up around his darlings. He let the question hang in the air for awhile, thinking of various ways to respond. Finally, he stood back up and gave Christian an honest look, before beginning his explanation.  
  
"I don't know just yet. You see Christian, I have this talent you could say. Something like a sixth sense when it comes to people. I can tell when they are happy, when they are sad, or when they are angry. No matter how well they try to hide it, I can usually pinpoint exactly what is going on in their head. Trust me, it was an ability I had to hone while I was Asuka's guardian. This also holds true to when people are trying to hide things. Don't ask me how, but when I run into people that have something they are truly trying to hide, a bell goes off inside my head."  
  
The stubbly stud set down the water can he had in his hand. Digging into a bag sitting next to the melons laid out before him, he began to ground plant food into the dirt.  
  
"The same held true when I first met you. To anyone else, you were just a new employee at Nerv. Possibly a bit nervous as well. However, when we shook hands, I just felt that bell go off like it never had before."  
  
Christian stared at Kaji evenly, not responding to whether the accusations being laid out before him were true or false. However, even despite the situation he managed one question.  
  
"Why are you telling me all of this?"  
  
Kaji shrugged, continuing to tend to the plants before him.  
  
"If you're worried about me blackmailing you, then don't. You're not the only one who has secrets Christian. I've recently been removed from Nerv's payroll because I too have my own secrets. Because of this fact, even if I tried to turn you into Nerv, they probably wouldn't believe me. It took my extended... acquaintances ...four days to even track down and study your records. Whoever you have as your cover, is obviously highly skilled. Any possible way that I could ask you for their number?"  
  
Kaji laughed at his own question, before looking over and noticing that Christian's expression was far from amused. The blonde bodyguard's eyes narrowed slightly.  
  
"You haven't answered my question yet Kaji."  
  
The special agent nodded, as if acknowledging Christian's accusation. He ran a hand through his ponytail, and it was obvious he was looking for what to say. When finished playing with his hair, a steely yet resolved look came over his face.  
  
"Simply put. I trust you. I can't explain why, but I do. When you're in the business as long as I've been, you can tend to see certain people's goals for what they really are. What they plan to do, and who they see as opposition. But with you, I can tell that whatever it is you're working towards, it obviously isn't a path of destruction. I've seen how you are with the children. You genuinely care about their well-being, and you're doing your best to prepare them for the horrors that come with their responsibility."  
  
Christian stared at the man standing next to him for a moment, not saying anything. Suddenly, the blare of sirens could be heard, signaling only one thing.  
  
An Angel.  
  
Both men stood their for awhile, left to their own thoughts as the wail of the banshee drove people to shelters. Many people ran past the two of them, and an outstanding panic could be sensed. Even still, they both stood their, perfectly content in where their feet were. It was Christian though, that finally decided to break the chaotic harmony.  
  
"Do you think the Commander knows?"  
  
Kaji looked up, his ever present smile plastered over his face. His light laugh was a reassurance to the blonde bodyguard.  
  
"Ikari? If he could actually read people as well as he makes everyone believe, do you honestly think that he would have Section Two posted in ever corner of Tokyo Three?"  
  
This time, Christian couldn't help but laugh along with the stubbly stud. The tension that had been present in the air only moments ago, was slowly starting to dissipate. That was until the giant red form of Evangelion Unit-02 rose from the ground. The two men watched as the red beast began to stockpile weapons around itself. After it had finally positioned the arsenal to it's liking, it picked up a rifle and aimed it at the now descending shelters of Tokyo-03's surface.  
  
Christian followed the line of sight held by Unit-02, and Kaji followed suit. Both could hear the resounding thunder overhead, promising demise to anyone that stood in the creature's way. Finally, after what seemed like forever, an explosion rocketed through the underground fortress of Tokyo-03. Various buildings shattered from their foundations and plummeted straight to the unforgiving ground below. The Angel floated slowly through the carnage it had created, as if relishing in the fact that it had caused so much destruction and pain.  
  
Without warning, Unit-02 fired on the Angel with deadly passion. Bullets streaked through the air like fireflies, each promising death if they came in contact with flesh. The Angel however, had no reason to let the bullets come in contact with flesh, thus each one exploded beautifully against it's A.T. Field. Even with the barrage are shrapnel being thrown it's way, the Angel continued on it's agonizingly slow pace. Only when it landed on the ground of the GeoFront, did Unit-02 drop the single rifle in it's hand, pulling up two more, and releasing hell upon it's target. Even with the barrage of firepower capable of wiping out a military force, the Angel did not falter.  
  
Unit-02 pulled out two rocket launchers, and unleashed total destruction upon it's adversary. The Angel stood, stoic, staring at Unit-02 with it's ever mocking expression. It wasn't until it was entirely sure that Unit-02 had finished firing, before it's arms unrolled. Without warning, the bladed ribbons shot through the air with inhuman speed. They slid through Unit-02's arms with sick ease. With a single flick, it severed them from the stumps called shoulders.  
  
Kaji grimaced as purple blood poured out of the severed stumps like a waterfall. He was surprised to see though, the crouched form of Christian next to him. The blonde bodyguard had fallen to one knee, and began breathing heavily. His hand clutched at his chest, as if in pain, as sweat began to fall off his forehead in fluid drops. His face had paled, and to Kaji, it seemed that he was getting even more sick by the minute.Without warning, Christian hoisted himself up, giving Kaji one final look.  
  
"I have to go..."  
  
The blonde suddenly took off into a run, vanishing into the thick foliage. Kaji only had a minute to question his thoughts about the young man, before he looked up to see Unit-02 charging at full speed. That was before the Angel's ribbon like limb shot out, severing the once ever present head of Unit-02.  
  
Kaji's eyes narrowed and he gripped the handle of his water can a bit tighter then he had intended. Despite all her faults, Asuka was his responsibility at one point, and he had watched her grow for part of her life. Thus his fatherly instincts kicked in for a moment. Even in the situation though, deep down, he knew she was fine. There was no way Misato would allow any harm to come to the Children.  
  
His thoughts quickly moved onto the blonde that had run off only moments ago.  
  
_I may trust you Christian, but that doesn't mean that I won't find out why you're here..._  
  
"Hey, what are you doing?! Do you want to die?!"  
  
That screaming statement brought Kaji out of his train of thought. He looked behind himself at the civilian that had yelled, and when he did, he finally caught sight of the young pilot of Unit-01, staring horrifically at the disfigured and beheaded Unit-02.  
  
"Shinji!"  
  
Kaji smiled when he noticed the startled boys expression.  
  
"Kaji? What are you doing here?"  
  
The ever stubbly man smiled once again at the boy, doing his best to not only ease who was in front of him, but himself as well.  
  
"Hey, that's my line..."  
  
It didn't go unnoticed to Kaji when the young boy looked down, a regretful frown crossing his young features.  
  
"Well, I decided I wouldn't pilot anymore...and since I decided that..."  
  
Shinji let his sentence hang in the air, not caring to really elaborate on that fact. Kaji could see the self-betrayal in the young man's eyes. Kaji was not a man that could truly lie to himself. If he knew the truth, then he accepted it, and took the consequences that came with it, rather than living in his own deluded lie.  
  
He liked Shinji. He couldn't lie to himself about that. Despite the fact that the poor boy was related to the Noble Prize winner of "Biggest Dickhead Father", Kaji would never hold that against him. To him, Shinji was a boy that had never had any kind of parental figure in his life. He was never told that he should be his own person, be his own boss, drive his own destiny, and screw the world if they didn't agree with it. Shinji was unfortunately one of those people that felt worthless, even if praised in the sight of others, he felt worthless. And all because nobody had ever truly said the right thing to him...  
  
Even if it was to give himself peace of mind, Kaji would not let that go on any longer...  
  
"Well since my other job became public knowledge, I'm no long officially with Nerv. So here I am, watering away..."  
  
He could almost hear Shinji's shocked expression.  
  
"At a time like this?!"  
  
If it wasn't for the fact that the brown haired boy knew that very few things took Kaji's smile away, he would have looked at him like he head lost his mind.  
  
"What better time? Although I'd rather be between Misato's melons, this is the place I want to be when I die..."  
  
That single word struck Shinji like lightning, and his pony-tailed companion knew it.  
  
Shinji couldn't help but croak out that word. "D-die...?"  
  
Kaji nodded softly. "That's right. It's said that if an Angel comes into contact with Adam, who lies sleeping under this very ground, then humanity will be eradicated in Third Impact."  
  
The stubbly stud allowed those words to sink into the young pilots head. They didn't have long though, as a thundering sound made itself known. Without warning, Unit-00 sprung free from the ground, a small dark object in the Eva's only arm.  
  
"Ayanami, with no...!"  
  
The poor boy didn't even get a chance to finish his statement before Unit-00 broke off into a full sprint. The Angel seemed to take a bored interest in this new threat, even as the blue Eva ran into it's A.T. Field head on. Unit-00 slammed what it was holding in it's hand against the wall of the Angel's soul. Just when it seemed that the indigo haired girl piloting it had succeeded, something went wrong. Shinji didn't even have time to scream before the explosion of an N2 bomb made it's presence known inside the GeoFront. When he finally got his bearings, he had only seconds to see one of the Angel's ribbon like limbs planting itself in the middle of Unit-00's face. He stared, horrified, as the Angel turned, and continued on it's path.  
  
"All I can do is stand here and water Shinji. But you, you have a choice. A choice that nobody can make for you. You have to make that choice for yourself...by yourself..."  
  
As Kaji spoke those words, Shinji finally felt something in his pocket. With a trembling hand, he pulled out what he had felt taking up space. The shining surface glinted in the light of the many explosions rocketing through the air like fireworks.  
  
_Always remember, no matter what happens to you, no matter how bad things may seem, never forget who you really are inside..._  
  
"Think about not having any regrets..."  
  
Shinji caught the very last sentence that came out of Kaji's mouth. He turned to his pony-tailed partner, not knowing how to respond. The sharp features that took up Kaji's face were unfamiliar to Shinji, and on some level, even scared him a bit. However, when the young boy turned looked at the battlefield that held fallen friends, something inside of him snapped. He quickly pulled the object around his neck, letting it's platinum surface settle on his chest. He offered Kaji one final look of determination, before he ran off in the direction of Nerv.  
  
Kaji could say nothing as the boy ran off to face his destiny. A smile made it's way onto his stubbly features.  
  
_I know you won't let us down, Shinji...  
  
**--------------------------------------------------------------------**_  
  
**The First Day**  
  
_Crying._  
  
A paradoxical thing.  
  
Something that can happen when you're at your utmost joy. Your deepest sadness. Even when you've been hurt. Emotionally or physically.  
  
It can be tied into almost every emotion we have. It can be pulled into everything that is amazing. Your wedding, your first child, even your first and true 'I love you'. It can be part of every disastrous thing you encounter in your time. Your first and last lost loved ones, your unexpected and unwanted breakups, even when your watching something happen that you hoped wouldn't.  
  
That's why Christian didn't wipe away the watery streaks that streamed down his cheeks. Even as the purple beast raised it's maw to the sky, screaming at the moon like a maniac. Even the entire time it had feasted on man's worst fear, even when it had let loose it's first feral growl. He didn't wipe them away. No, despite everything that tears held, he didn't wipe them away. Sadness, pain, hurt, betrayal, pride, sympathy, understanding, surprise, joy, astonishment. All of those emotions and then some were the reason he didn't wipe them away. Because all of those feelings made one thing inside of us. Created one thing...  
  
Our humanity.  
  
The blonde bodyguard cried hard, and long. Even after the Evangelion had long since shut down, did he let his eyes spill the water of truth. It wasn't until the familiar ring inside of his coat made itself known, did he straighten himself out and clear his throat.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
The voice on the other end greeted as well, before going silent for a mere moment. Finally, when it came through again, they made a simple statement. Christian laughed lightly, wiping his eyes a bit more.  
  
He never could hide anything. "Yes...I was."  
  
The voice on the other end made a soft, sympathetic sound. However, just as it began to speak again, Christian fell to his knees. Although he could try and hide the sound of his crying, he couldn't hide the sound of his stomach emptying itself of any nutrients he had eaten that day. His body jerked violently for a moment, his lungs fighting the stomach for air. He knelt there, coughing and wheezing. After only a few moments, he straightened himself out, and took a few deep breaths. He picked up the cell phone that had been discarded in his quick emergency.  
  
The voice didn't even need for him to confirm that he was back on the phone before they inquired about his situation.  
  
"Yes...I'm fine. I can...handle this for a...month..."  
  
The voice on the other end was quite for a time, listening to the blonde's breathing. Finally, they spoke again, before the connection was softly cut. Christian knelt there, trying to get his body under control again.  
  
_I hope...  
  
****__--------------------------------------------------------------------  
_  
**The Third Day**  
  
"I know Wondergirl's ok Misato! Don't bother me with trivial shit like that!"  
  
The only response the fiery redhead received was the audible crack, when she slammed the phone onto the floor. Things lay strewn around her room, from pillows, to coffee cups, anything she could get her hands on. Well, anything she could break. She gripped her pillow tightly, almost tearing the thing in two.  
  
"I can't take it..."  
  
She grit her teeth as her tears became foggy. She would not cry. She would be damned if she would let one tear shed past her eyelids. The only thing that broke her train of thought was the soft knock she heard coming from her door. She didn't answer, only gripping her pillow tighter when the knocking continued. It wasn't until after the third knock, did she finally answer.  
  
"**SCREW OFF!**"  
  
She hid her face further as the door to her bedroom slid open, revealing a young blonde man standing in the doorway.  
  
"At least I know you're still alive..."  
  
The fiery redhead shot out of bed, pillow in hand. Before Christian could even say anything, the German girl hurled the pillow at him with all the strength she could muster. The feathery weapon hit him full in the chest, and he smiled lightly as it fell to the ground. She threw her hands in the air and growled, before snatching it back up and sitting on her bed. She placed her back against the wall and hugged the pillow tightly, refusing to look at her smiling bodyguard.  
  
"Well, it's fairly late, and I'm sure you're hungry. What would you like to eat?"  
  
"Shove it..."  
  
Christian sighed and continued to stand in the doorway.  
  
"Asuka, there's no reason for you to act like..."  
  
"I said SHOVE IT! You think there's no reason?! Well guess what you waste of tax dollars, you don't know me!"  
  
The German girl all but spit as she let the rage induced words float through the air. The young blonde just put a hand to his head, sighing a bit.  
  
"Look, I know you're hungry, you have barely eaten for three days. Since it's just us maybe we could..."  
  
"Maybe you could go to hell!"  
  
Christian just stared at Asuka as she buried her face in her pillow. Her knuckles had gone white and the poor girl was shivering as she fought back what he could tell were sobs. Finally, he just hung his head, shutting her door softly.  
  
Asuka didn't know how long she had sat there, clutching to her pillow as if it were her last thread of sanity. She had let the tears come after Christian had left, not letting him see her cry. She sat there, for what felt like hours, her head throbbing, her stomach growling, and her mind reeling. Shinji the Hero had hit a sync ratio that she could never hope to best, even if he did suffer consequences because of it. She was no longer the best, and she couldn't handle it. She had always been the best looking out of all the girls. She had always been the smartest when it came to scholastics. She had always been at the top when it came to Eva.  
  
She glanced at her clock and realized she had been sitting there for over two hours. She wiped her eyes and straighted out her room, her anger finally subsiding a bit. When she had finally picked up the pieces of glass off her floor, and put everything back in order, the soft sounds of a cello made it's way into her room. Curiosity being one of Asuka's many strong attributes, she slid open her door, only to have her foot gently tap the plate sitting there. The fiery redhead looked down on the sandwich that had been placed there, along with a note, which she lifted up to eye level.  
  
_As I was going to say...  
  
Since it's just us, we could have a meal I know you'd enjoy more then what you normally eat here._  
  
She set the note back on the floor, and picked up the plate sitting in front of her. The German girl was bewildered to find the sandwich still quite hot, and upon closer inspection she could see that it consisted of a fried egg, sausages and cheese, all held together with two pieces of toast. Almost instantly, her stomach grumbled, and she snatched the plastic wrap from the plate, all but shoving the sandwich in her mouth. Asuka almost moaned out loud when the taste cascaded across her tongue. As simple a dish as it was, to her, it was well beyond that of 4 stars.  
  
The entire time, the sound of a humming cello assaulted her ears, sapping all the frustrations out of her system, and calming her. She finally plopped the last bite into her mouth, frowning slightly as she realized she was still quite hungry. Without another thought though, she began her hunt to find the source of the melodies that now floated throughout the apartment. When she walked completely out of her room, and turned the corner, she found a blonde man sitting in one of the dining room chairs, playing a cello in the middle of the living room. The moonlight came through the glass door in the back, giving him sufficient light to see what he was doing. Although Asuka could tell he didn't need that light, as his eyes were closed and he had a faint smile on his face as he played.  
  
After a short while, he hit the final note, and let the soft sounds of the instrument fade away in the darkness. He looked up, smiling as he noticed the redheaded girl standing on the far side of the living room.  
  
"Ah ha! She arises from her cave."  
  
Asuka just stood there sheepishly, blushing a little when her stomach growled a little more. Christian smiled and pointed to the kitchen, winking slightly.  
  
"There's one extra sandwich sitting on the table."  
  
He didn't even get a chance to respond as Asuka quickly made her way into the kitchen. He smiled lightly, before continuing with the melody he had previously graced the apartment with. When the German girl returned, she was eating much more mannerly, and sat on the couch, pulling her legs underneath herself. She took a few leisurely bites out of her meal, as Christian continued to play. Even after she finished, his melody continued on, driving back personal demons in both of the people that now occupied the small alcove of the apartment.  
  
When the melody finally finished, Christian sat there, smiling slightly at the instrument in front of him.  
  
"I didn't know you played..."  
  
The statement made by the usually fiery girl was somewhat devoid of the hostility that had plagued it a few hours earlier. The blonde shook his head, a slight apologetic blush coming across his face.  
  
"I found it in Shinji's room. I haven't played in years...I used to play when I was a kid, to...well...hide myself from things..."  
  
Asuka brow furrowed. "Hide from things?"  
  
Christian leaned back against the chair, sight softly. "I really didn't have the easiest of childhoods you could say. I had a lot of pressure on myself and there was a lot of things riding on my shoulders. Sometimes, I felt like the world was closing up around me and there was nothing I could do to stop it. When those things happened, I usually pulled out my cello and played for hours. It was my sword you could say, to beat back everything that came towards me."  
  
"Maybe you were just too weak..."  
  
Christian looked at the young girl for a second, gasping in mock hurt, before smiling slightly. "What a terrible thing to say, Asuka..."  
  
The girl just made a grunt of disapproval, crossing her arms defiantly against her chest. "If you couldn't handle the weight that was on your shoulders, then you shouldn't have been in that place of power. People who are weak need to just stand back and let those of us with strength come up and handle whatever it is that needs to be handled."  
  
Christian nodded for a second, and took on a feature that showed he was in deep thought. After only a minute or two, he looked up at the girl again.  
  
"You believe you are stronger then others?"  
  
Asuka nodded again, frowning slightly. "Yes I do. If it wasn't for me, then this damn city probably would have already been leveled by an Angel."  
  
Christian just looked at her, as if trying to read her features. Asuka blushed, feeling as though he was invading her personal space. Before she could shout at him to keep is damn eyes locked on something else, he spoke.  
  
"Everyone has weakness Asuka. I have them, Misato has them, Shinji has them, Rei has them, and yes, even you have them. What makes us strong is realizing what our weakness are, and not letting them hold you back."  
  
Asuka scoffed at the remark, giving the blonde bodyguard a very irritated look.."Bullshit. Misato has an obvious weakness, and it's alcohol. Shinji is just a damn weakling in general, and don't get me started on Wondergirl. Those two barely have what it takes to be Eva pilots. Shinji can't even stand up to that prick he calls a father, let alone anyone else. So don't start talking to me like you know shit about strength and weaknesses. You're talking to a damn college graduate who has a degree.."  
  
The young man smirked. "So are you. However, I have two degrees..."  
  
Asuka's eyes narrowed, before turning her head away from him. "Whatever. You still don't know what you're talking about..."  
  
She didn't get a chance to answer, before she felt someone grabbing her hand. If it wasn't for that fact that Christian had already placed something in it, and was walking back over to his chair, she would have decked him for even touching her. However, she felt something cool inside the palm of her hand, and once again, curiosity won out over anger. When she opened her palm, she found a small gold chain nestled inside. Her jaw fell open slightly, and she looked up at Christian like he had lost his mind. Finally, after curiosity began to fade, anger came through.  
  
"What the hell? I don't want your damn jewelry, so take this stupid ass thing..."  
  
"It was my father's..."  
  
That remark stopped the redhead mid-sentence. Anger dissolved from her features, and she just stared at Christian.  
  
"Well my foster father's actually. That was the bracelet that he kept with him everywhere. There's a small plaque in the middle of it with his initials and my foster mother's initials etched into the gold."  
  
Asuka looked at the small piece of jewelry and flipped it over. Sure enough, there were two sets of initials, with an infinity symbol wrapping around both of them. Before she could even ask any questions, the blonde bodyguard continued.  
  
"They were married for over sixty years. He had it made not long after he and my mother were married, and right before he went to war in Vietnam for the United States. I'm sure you've studied that war in school. American history I believe. It was his symbol that there was someone waiting for him back home. My foster father was a very hard man to understand, and out of his entire life, there were only two people he ever let inside of his heart. Myself, and my foster mother..."  
  
The fiery redhead just continued to listen.  
  
"He was the Secretary of Defense for the United States, and he always had to look strong and be strong, for he was the head of their entire military. He held up that powerful facade to the entire country, making everyone believe that he was this giant pillar of strength that no one could push over. But I remember some nights so perfectly. When he'd come home, his facade would fade, and he and my mother would sit down, and he would pour his heart out about everything. You see Asuka, he never truly had his own strength. He had strength through my mother, and visa versa. She was his confident, and so was I. Sometimes, he would just sit and talk with me, telling me all the things that had ever scared him in his life. When he was at war, when he was at work. Everything..."  
  
Asuka couldn't answer, her mouth was slightly open, trying to register everything that was coming from the young man's mouth.  
  
"What I'm trying to tell you Asuka, is that nobody is strong on their own. Nobody. The only reason any of us fight, the only reason any of us even survive, is because somewhere deep down, there is something, or someone we're trying to protect. That's the reason I want you to have this bracelet. You block yourself out from the world Asuka, and you can't do that. Sooner or later, you aren't going to be able to hold yourself together, and it's at that time, you're going to need someone, someone close to you, to give you their shoulder to lean on. That was something my father understood, and it's what kept him going day in and day out. I want you to always remember that when you look at that bracelet."  
  
Asuka just looked at Christian, her gaze dropping down to the small golden bracelet in her hand. Finally though, her eyes narrowed and she shot up from the couch, dropping the piece of jewelry on the seat.  
  
"You can go to hell!"  
  
Christian just blinked at her. Asuka began fuming in front of him.  
  
"You think you can just talk to me as if you know the shit I've gone through?! You can take your stupid philosophy, and your stupid piece of golden junk and shove it up your ass! I don't need you and I sure as hell don't need Shinji! I've been taking care of myself for years after my parents abandoned me, and that's not about to change anytime soon! So take your so called 'advice' and shove it up your FUCKING ass!"  
  
Without another word, the redhead stormed off, all but slamming her door shut. A few of the hanging pictures near her door shook for a moment, but held strong. Through her entire rant, Christian had his eyes closed, and a soft almost unrecognizable smirk on his face. When he finally opened his eyes, he noticed that the bracelet was indeed gone from the seat of the couch. Finally, something rang out in Christian's head.  
  
_You think you can just talk to me as if you know the shit I've gone through  
_  
_I've been taking care of myself for years after my parents abandoned me, and that's not about to change anytime soon_  
  
The blonde man wanted to lean back and laugh. However, he just settled for a grin that he couldn't tear from his face. Without even thinking he began to pick up a new song, letting the bow slide across the strings of the cello, filling the apartment with the sounds of music once again.  
  
_I don't think you even realized it Asuka, but you've just started to open up...  
  
**-------------------------------------------------------------**_  
  
**The Thirty First Day  
**  
"Give me back my Shinji! Give him back!"  
  
The purple haired goddesses body shook with each sob, as her arms refused to let go of the blue and white plugsuit. Tears streaked down her face as she screamed at the beast to give her back what she felt was rightfully hers. Without warning, she heard was sounded like wet flesh hitting metal. When she glanced up, she almost broke into sobs again when she felt her eyes had played tricks on her.  
  
"Shinji...?"  
  
Her voice sounded so distant, so weak. But after she blinked for a second, and realized that he was indeed there, she ran to him, plugsuit all but forgotten.  
  
"Shinji!"  
  
The tears came harder this time. He was back and in her arms, safe and sound. Relief washed over her like a waterfall and there wasn't anything she could do to keep herself from hugging his body tightly.  
  
She never really noticed the platinum cross that hung around his neck.  
  
**_-------------------------------------------------------------_**  
  
"Shinji just got back and she's already running to her lover? Well...I guess I can't blame her..."  
  
Ritsuko stood in mild shock when Misato drove off, hand waving slightly in the air. The blue sports car finally disappeared over the hill and Ritsuko sighed, feeling slightly alone. She hadn't felt this way in a long time, and deep inside, she hated feeling this way. The blonde scientist looked up and was greeted by quite a refreshing sight.  
  
Walking down the street, with a hand running through his blonde hair, was Christian. His path would soon lead him right to her location, but he smiled long before he got there, recognizing her in an instant. She smiled back until he was finally caught up to her, hands resting slightly on her hips.  
  
"Ms. Akagi! What a pleasant surprise!"  
  
Ritsuko laughed lightly, wagging a finger at him.  
  
"It's Ritsuko. We're off duty."  
  
The smile never left the blonde bodyguard's face.  
  
"I know. I was just hoping that you would refer me for a promotion if I showed respect."  
  
The blonde scientist smiled at him.  
  
"Tell you what, join me for a drink and I'll look into it."  
  
Christian smiled and extended his arm to her. "It's a deal."  
  
**_-------------------------------------------------------------_**  
  
The bar was a nice setting. Soft lights, no rowdy crowds, and friendly service. Although the place was somewhat packed, the two blonde had no trouble finding a small booth near the back.  
  
Ritsuko smiled, sipping her drink lightly and gently smoking the cigarette that was in her right hand. Christian sat a bit next to her, also sipping his drink and talking idly with his companion. The two sat there for awhile, chatting about their lives. Ritsuko came to learn about Christian's family. His late foster father and mother. What they did, and experiences with their lives. Christian came to learn about Ritsuko a bit. How she became involved in Nerv, and other things about the job that both of them now worked on.  
  
The blonde scientist looked at her companion took another sip of her drink, leaning back in the booth and taking a long drag from her cigarette.  
  
"So how's guard duty for you so far?"  
  
Her blonde companion laughed lightly.  
  
"So far, there's nothing to guard them from, so I can't really tell you. I've been trying to help them understand the world better though. Shinji seems to have shut himself off from everyone, afraid of letting anyone know what he's feeling. But I can sense him screaming for attention. Not even attention, more like...acceptance. He's so used to doing what everyone tells him, that he's beginning to believe that it's all he's good for. Sooner or later, he's not going to be able to take it."  
  
Ritsuko just looked at the blonde bodyguard. She set her drink down in front of her, and took another soft puff from her tobacco stick.  
  
"Asuka...hell, where do I begin...?"  
  
Christian smiled as he heard a soft laugh emanate from Ritsuko. She put a hand on his shoulder, giving him an apologetic look as she spoke.  
  
"Good question. I don't think anyone knows how to get through to that girl."  
  
"True. From what I've seen, she seems to have shut the world off on her own accord. It's as if she's challenging anyone who would oppose her. I won't lie when I say she's quite brilliant, but she hasn't been on this earth long enough to know how to use that brilliance. She hasn't had the experiences that you and I have had, so it's like giving a computer to a toddler and asking them to build it from scratch. I'm only hoping that she can come to terms with letting someone understand her, before it's too late..."  
  
Ritsuko raised an eyebrow, and looked at him with a soft expression on her face.  
  
"You seem to really care about the Children. It's amazing that you know so much about them after being here for only so long..."  
  
Christian smiled a bit as he took a sip from his drink. He sat back a moment, before finally sitting forward and resting his arms on the table.  
  
"Well this discussion was meant to bring me to my next question. What's eating you?"  
  
The blonde scientist looked at her companion for a moment, bringing the cigarette up to her lips.  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about..."  
  
Even Ritsuko knew it wasn't very convincing. Even so, there really shouldn't have been any way for Christian to sense anything wrong with her. She was shocked when he spoke again, feeling as though he was reading her mind.  
  
"You're a very brilliant woman Ritsuko, no doubt about that. But I'm a psychology major, I've been trained and taught to see these kinds of things with people."  
  
Even with that statement, Ritsuko never said anything. She did, however, begin taking bigger gulps of her drink. It wasn't long before she was out, and the waitress came back giving her a fresh one. Christian just smiled, letting the woman soak in the alcohol. Finally, she sighed, leaning her head back against the soft booth.  
  
"There's a lot of things that are wrong..."  
  
He smiled and took another sip of his own drink.  
  
"Well, why don't we talk about what's the most wrong?"  
  
Ritsuko just groaned, her demeanor starting to change from cheery to frustrated. She ran a hand through her hair again, before finally replying.  
  
"I really don't feel like talking about it...  
  
Christian let the statement hang in the air for awhile, watching as his bar buddy took yet another gulp from her drink. It wasn't long before he could see a small hue come to her cheeks. This, he had decided, was the right time to press what he had been thinking about. Although she wasn't drunk, she was perhaps just tipsy enough to let a few things slip from her mouth.  
  
"You're angry at the Commander I take it?"  
  
Ritsuko's head snapped up and she look at him square in the eyes. "How did you know?" When he smirked at her, she groaned, slapping a hand against her face.  
  
"Shit..."  
  
He chuckled around his glass as he took another drink from it. He watched as she cursed under her breath, not wishing for anyone to know what he had already guessed. Finally, he took on a serious look.  
  
"Look Ritsuko, I know this because of how you've been acting recently. Any time the Commander is mentioned, or any time he comes around, you get stiff as a board, and this frown comes across your face."  
  
Ritsuko didn't confirm whether he was right or not, but she did finally rest her elbow on the table, letting her chin fall into her palm. Even despite the fact that she didn't answer, the blonde bodyguard still pressed on, his emotions beginning to cloud his reasoning.  
  
"Whether you really are mad at him, or whether you aren't, that's entirely your business. I would never ask that you not get angry with that man, but what I would ask is that you not let it cloud your judgment. Don't ever let yourself pull other people into your grudge just for the sake of getting even with him. Promise me that, Ritsuko."  
  
Ritsuko looked at Christian with wide eyes, staring at him with her mouth somewhat open. It was then that Christian realized that he had probably said too much, and a surprised look came over his face. Before Ritsuko could register the look though, he gained back a confident smile.  
  
"I just don't want you to get yourself into any trouble, that's all..."  
  
Ritsuko looked at him for awhile, before a soft smile coming over her features. Even despite the alcohol, the blonde bodyguard could tell this was a genuine smile.  
  
"You really are very sweet Christian. It's understandable why Maya has taken such a liking to you..."  
  
The young man nearly choked on his drink, coughing lightly, as a dark blush came over his cheeks. Ritsuko laughed, patting the side of his face affectionately.  
  
"Ha ha ha, you blush just like a teenager, that's so cute!"  
  
Christian still was trying to register her first statement. "What do you mean she's taken a liking to me?"  
  
Ritsuko just shook her head and wagged a finger in front of his face.  
  
"Tsk tsk, that's not for me to say. I've already said too much as it is. Let's just say, that she likes it when you arrive, and loves it when you walk away. Especially in those pants you were wearing yesterday..."  
  
This time, Christian did choke on his drink. The blonde scientist couldn't help but laugh as the poor young man pounded on his chest. Ritsuko finally put out her cigarette and finished the last of her drink, waving the waitress down for their tab. Just as she was reaching out to grasp it, a soft yet firm hand settled on top of hers. She looked over to see Christian smiling lightly.  
  
"This one's on me Ritsuko. You'll get it next time around..."  
  
Ritsuko smiled at him, and before she even realized what she was doing, she murmured something under her breath. Christian just looked at her softly.  
  
"What...?"  
  
"I promise..."  
  
Even though he could easily see the alcohol creating the flush on her cheeks, he also saw that they hadn't reached her eyes. He smiled, standing up and holding out his hand for her.  
  
"Come on, let's get you home..."  
  
**_-------------------------------------------------------------_**  
  
He silently slipped through the front door, cheering in his mind when the key-code he had received worked. He silently began to blend into the shadows, the only light coming from the moon as it cascaded through the back glass door.  
  
It was a modest apartment. There was workout equipment in the living room, a somewhat personal gym. A punching bag was suspended from the ceiling, and there was a treadmill near the sliding glass doors that lead to the porch. Quietly, he made his way into the kitchen, the small flashlight in his hands chasing away all the monsters of darkness. He checked all the cupboards, searching for anything that might give him a silent clue or two about the current situation. He cursed under his breath when the apartment refused to give up anything on the occupant that lived in it's walls.  
  
He stood there for a moment, letting the flashlight dart around the apartment. Finally, he stalked to the bedroom. He opened the door quietly, peering inside for any form sleeping on the bed or anywhere else in the room. Finding the room unoccupied, he stalked around, squinting as he searched futilely around the darkness. A frustrated growl made it's way past his lips as once again, he found nothing. He stood in the middle of the room, no longer trying to be stealthy, as his frustration made that trait pointless. He none to quietly pushed the door to the bathroom open, telling himself that he'd once again run short of anything of importance. How wrong he was...  
  
_Holy shit..._  
  
His flashlight had found something that made Kaji reach over and switch on the overhead light. His jaw fell a bit lower as the bathroom lit up.  
  
Bottles were everywhere. Medicine bottles. All sorts of different sizes and colors. Kaji looked at the counter that held nothing but aspirin cases and prescription pain relievers. The stubbly stud walked through the sea of bottles that laid on the ground, most of them empty. Several bottles on the counter were still open, showing that they still held contents. A few pills were even strewn about the counter, as if they were pulled out of the bottles in haste.  
  
When Kaji had finally made it up to the counter, he noticed that it wasn't just pain relievers that littered the bathroom counter, but various types of nausea reducers and headache medicines. Kaji filtered through most of the medications taking note of their names and what they are used for.  
  
_Someone seems to have alto of headaches..._  
  
Then something caught Kaji's eye. In the corner of the counter sat a small black case, the locks on the ends closed tightly. Kaji's eyes narrowed and he pulled out a few small metal prods, sliding them into the little locks. He gently twisted them around, cheering in his head as each one snapped open. He opened the small case and whistled lightly when he found 3 needles and 6 small clear glass bottles filled with a semi-transparent liquid, all nestled inside a red velvet holder. Kaji gently pulled out one of the bottles and read the small label on the side.  
  
**Sv3976 Hydro-Morphine HcL.**  
  
Kaji's eyes widened a bit.  
  
_This is a pure form of morphine...  
_  
The stubbly stud looked around for a moment, before grabbing two of the bottles and putting them into his pocket. He then reached over and grabbed a couple of the prescription bottles on the counter and slipped those into his pockets as well. Finally he closed the black case and walked back out into the bedroom. When he walked back in, he noticed a closet door in the bedroom slightly open. He hadn't noticed it before but for some reason he felt drawn to it, and he silently made his way through the black apartment. When he slid the door open, his flashlight lit up a few cardboard boxes. He glanced around a few of the boxes, sighing as he found nothing out of the ordinary. That was until he glanced up and saw a somewhat large black suitcase. Kaji reached out and pulled the case down, setting it lightly on the bed. He pulled out the small metal rods again and gently pried open the lock on the case.  
  
His eyes widened a bit as he took in the contents of the black suitcase. There were a few clothes as well as a couple of trinkets sitting in it. On the top of one side of clothes, was a very small disk in a small clear case. Kaji pulled it open, using his flashlight on it's smooth illusionary rainbow surface.  
  
_Looks like an answering machine disk._  
  
The pony-tailed agent glanced around the room, finding a phone with an answering machine on the nightstand. He walked over, his flashlight lighting up the talking device. He ejected the disk tray, a bit surprised to find no disk already in the machine.  
  
_Must not like getting messages...  
_  
He placed the small disk in the machine, hitting the play button. He quickly walked back towards the suitcase, pulling out a few of the clothes. The first set was a white shirt and a small blue undershirt. Kaji's eyes narrowed a bit when he noticed that they were obviously a few sizes too small. He put the clothes aside, listening as he heard nothing but silence resounding through the disk. He rolled his eyes, figuring it was a blank disk. That was when he noticed the reddish brown hue in the white shirt, his flashlight rolling over it for only an instant. He put the light onto the spots, and gently rubbed it in between his fingers. He knew blood stains when he saw them, and it seemed like these were very old, and that they had tried to wash them out several times. He noticed much of the same stains all over the pants as well. He didn't know what to make of the stains just yet, and he decided that he should look through the rest of the suitcase. Until he pulled out a red and black flight jacket.  
  
His eyes widened as he held the jacket out in front of himself. He placed his flashlight in his mouth, aiming it at several spots on the jacket. He didn't know where he had gotten this, but he couldn't have stolen it from the person he thought he had. He had seen Misato wearing it just earlier that night. It wasn't until he saw the small hole in the lower left side, that his head told him there was something very wrong about this situation. He ran his finger across the hole and was very surprised when a few small flakes of brownish red came off onto his fingers.  
  
That was until his voice rang out through the answering machine...  
  
The flashlight fell out of the man's mouth as heard someone that he swore sounded just like himself. He stared through the darkness at the small talking machine, as it audibly began to state things that Kaji could have sworn he only knew in his head. His eyes teared up and he suddenly found that his voice would not work. When the voice finally died off, Kaji's hands were trembling as he held the flight jacket in his hands.  
  
"It's good to see you again Kaji..."  
  
The stubbly stud nearly fell over as the light in the bedroom came to life. He quickly pulled the gun out of it's holster, shakily pointing it in the blonde's direction.  
  
"Just who the hell are you?"  
  
Christian smiled as he noted that this was the first time he had ever heard the stubbly man's voice falter so much. He stood there, hands in his coat pockets, watching the man in front of him. Kaji's hands continued to tremble, his gun shaking slightly. The blonde bodyguard just looked at him apologetically.  
  
"You once told me that I had a choice. That I shouldn't think about anything other then that choice."  
  
Kaji's expression became questioning as he looked at the young man in front of him. Christian just shrugged his shoulders before speaking again.  
  
"You know...I always considered you like a father..."  
  
**_------------------------------------------------------------_**  
  
"This can't be happening..."  
  
Kaji stood out on the porch, taking in the cool night air. He stood with his back leaning against the rail, a thoughtful look on his face. Christian stood not too far away, also leaning against the railing.  
  
"Well it is, and there's nothing we can do to stop it."  
  
Both men stood there silently, erratic thoughts running through one mind, and cold silent confession running through the other. The pony-tailed agent just glanced up at the young blonde in front of him.  
  
"I need to talk to Misato again..."  
  
"No!"  
  
Kaji was slightly surprised when the blonde man quickly stepped in front of him. Christian once again gave him an apologetic look.  
  
"No...I'm sorry. You can't do anything. Even if you wanted to, it's too late to change anything..."  
  
The stubbly man just stared at him, cursing under his breath.  
  
"When were you planning on making your move?"  
  
Kaji looked down, sighing lightly as the soft words left his mouth, answering the blonde bodyguard's inquiry.  
  
"Tomorrow..."  
  
Christian held his chin thoughtfully, rolling something over in his mind.  
  
"That's earlier then I had expected. However, it's no consequence in the long run. Just go through with it, and do everything as you planned to, even after you found all this out. I know what I'm asking for is nearly impossible, but you have to do it. For Misato's sake, Shinji's sake, hell, damn near everyone's sake..." He placed a hand on Kaji's shoulder. "If you do this, then I promise upon my life, that I will make sure you are with Misato again..."  
  
Kaji was a very intelligent man. Despite that intelligence, he never followed what his mind told him. Only his heart, and only his gut. That, to some people, would seem stupid in it's own right. For Kaji, however, it's how he had survived as long as he had. And right now, his mind was once again losing to the two other opposing forces.  
  
And he had every intention of following them.  
  
He glanced up at the young man that stood before him, reading no betrayal or mistrust in his eyes. Kaji lowered his head and nodded once, sighing shakily and getting ready to leave. Christian called out to him gently.  
  
"If you'd like, I can always slip the disk into Misato's answering machine. This would save you the trouble..."  
  
The stubbly stud stopped mid-step, leaning his head back and staring at the ceiling, his thoughts coming and going. Christian stood a couple feet behind him, watching closely.  
  
"No thanks. I think...I'd like to leave her a message myself."  
  
The blonde behind him just nodded following Kaji back into the house.  
  
"Kaji, wait!"  
  
The man in question turned around, watching as Christian walked towards a nearby closet, grabbing an item and pulling it out. The ever stubbly man was a bit surprised when a small but heavy black vest was placed in his hands. Christian just smiled at him lightly.  
  
"I think you'll be needing this."  
  
Kaji just smiled at him, one of his traditional Nothing-Ever-Bothers-Me smiles. He placed the item over his shoulders and walked out, the door hissing shut as it closed behind him. Christian let out a long sigh, running a hand through his short spiky hair. Finally, he pulled a small object out of his pockets, flipping it open, and dialing the all too familiar number. It finally clicked and a voice could be heard answering over the other end.  
  
"It's me. We may have a slight problem."  
  
The voice on the other ended voiced a one worded question.  
  
"Kaji knows, and he's making his move tomorrow. That may, however, work to our advantage. He'll be out of danger all the sooner."  
  
The voice was silent a bit more, before finally speaking up again.  
  
"Yes, he found the...items."  
  
Once again, the calm voice answered back.  
  
"I know...I know. He wasn't supposed to move for awhile. We've already talked about this though. We both had a feeling that things may not happen exactly when they were supposed to. Which leads me to my next point...........Unit Four is still intact..."  
  
Silence was the only answer that the young man received. Finally, the voice on the other end spoke up. When he heard them, he shook his head a bit forcefully.  
  
"No! No...there's no need for your presence yet. It's still to early. Just...let me keep doing what I'm doing, and everything should work out just like we planned..."  
  
Once again, silence. Finally a soft comment made it's way through, and Christian couldn't help but smile.  
  
"I know you do."  
  
Soft laughter could be heard before the connection died away. Christian just pulled the phone away, shutting it off and sliding it back into his pocket. He leaned back against one of the counters in his kitchen, watching the stars outside of his sliding glass door. He finally held up the small object in his hands, one of the various things that was held inside the black suitcase. He grimaced slightly.  
  
_I'm lying to everyone. To Shinji, to Misato, to Ritsuko...Asuka...Rei...everyone. To think, I became a deceitful bastard...just like you..._  
  
The small, cracked, amber glasses that he held in his hands, gave him no response. He wiped a small tear from his eye, watching as the moonlight played off both of the lens'.  
  
_Maybe...it was inevitable...  
  
**-------------------------------------------------------------**_  
  
**The Thirty Third Day**  
  
"Here is your firearm, and your Nerv I.D. back, Major Katsuragi. The Commander...requests...that you see if you can't take care of this...situation...at once."  
  
The purple tressed goddess just looked up at the dual suits that stood before her desk. She silently reached out, placing the gun back in it's holster, and attaching her I.D. to the collar of her flight jacket. She stood up, a facade of steely resolve surrounding her features. She gathered her sense, and watched as the two men in front of her bowed very lightly and made their way out of her office.  
  
She was quite shocked when she heard that Sub-Commander Fyuutski had been kidnapped the day before, and was even more shocked when she had heard who was allegedly responsible for the treacherous act.  
  
But her biggest shock, came when she had received a phone call earlier that day, from a person that knew her better then she knew herself. They asked that she meet them that night, on the outskirts of Tokyo-03. They hadn't even given her a chance to answer before the person had hung up.  
  
And now it seemed, that it was time for her to decide who she would fulfill her duty to. Fulfill the duty of her job, keeping the organization and safety of the people at Nerv.  
  
Or to fulfill her duty to the only man she would ever love?  
  
_**-------------------------------------------------------------  
**_  
He smiled lightly as he heard the footsteps approach. He held no malice on his face, no anger, no hatred. Only the soft smile of a man who had known what would happen all along.  
  
It had become nighttime long ago, and he had stood there for several hours before the person in front of him had arrived. What had he done to keep himself sane those several hours. Why, he thought of her, of course!  
  
He thought about the first time they had met. The fire that was always ablaze in her eyes. The passion that always made it's way into every move she made. The brilliance that just radiated from her presence. Everything she did, that made her so wonderful. Everything she did that just...made him fall in love with her.  
  
He thought about everything that they had ever been through. Every fight, every talk, every kiss, and every night they shared together. Not one memory of her, didn't make it's way into his brain. It engraved itself, left it's mark, and he knew, in this one night, that she would always be in his thoughts.  
  
That's why, when the figure finally stepped into the streetlight, did his ever present shit eating grin, come so easily to his face.  
  
"I knew you would come..."  
  
He even thought of her as the ear piercing sound of a gun going off, rang out through the alley, a banshee of death, letting all know that she was claiming a life.  
  
Even as he landed up at his back, staring up at the stars, imagining that she shined just as brightly as they did...  
  
**_-------------------------------------------------------------_**  
  
She silently walked into her apartment, clutching her jacket tightly. Her arms were wrapped around her and she shivered, despite the fact that it wasn't very cold outside. The brushed her purple locks from out of her eyes, walking into the kitchen, breath coming in big gasps.  
  
That's when she noticed the light on her answering machine blinking, like an ever present symbol of dread. She stared at the phone as if it were a deathtrap, waiting to suddenly spring to life and claim her. Even despite this fact, she walked over, pressing the small 'Play' button.  
  
His voice rang through_...  
  
I remember...when I met this beautiful young woman. So...full of life.  
  
She was my Angel in disguise. Although I wouldn't know that for several more years.  
  
She was...my goddess. My heart. My soul. She was everything I had ever wanted, and more._  
  
_She was everything I wanted to be. Everything I wanted to believe in.  
  
She was...well she was everything. She was **MY** everything.  
  
I knew I would never meet a woman like her, and it's true. I have yet to ever meet someone who I could call her equal.  
  
Even I was never her equal. I know that now. I was afraid. Always afraid.  
  
But she was strong. Stronger then I could ever be. The only way I was ever strong, was by drawing from her strength.  
  
Maybe that's why I had to do all this. Maybe this is why I had to go..._  
  
Misato never realized that the tears had begun to fall from her face, until she felt them dripping off her chin. She held her hand over her mouth, as she stared at the talking device, trying to force it to turn into him with her mind. She almost sobbed as she heard him take a deep breath.  
  
_If we ever meet again, I will finally tell you the words that I didn't have the courage to say eight years ago._  
  
This time, she did sob, her eyes clenching shut as the machine fell silent. Her teeth grit hard enough to make her gums hurt. She didn't care though. All her pains, frustrations, anxieties, all of them poured their way out of her eyes. She almost collapsed, when the answering machine suddenly came to life again, keeping her on her feet once again.  
  
_But, unfortunately, I can't wait that long. So I believe I will say them now...  
  
I love you. I will always love you. I will always be yours, and I swear, that you'll be in my heart now and forever._  
  
This time, Misato did collapse. Hot streaks of water poured their way out of her eyes, falling from her face down onto the floor below. She didn't know how long she sat there, huddled in a ball of crying woman, before a soft voice cut through her sobs like a Hellfire missile.  
  
"Misato...what's wrong...?"  
  
She looked up, her purple bangs parting to show the person that now stood in front of her.  
  
She wasn't sure how hard she had flung herself into Shinji's arms, but she was almost positive that he'd at least live through it...  
  
**_-------------------------------------------------------------_**  
  
The figure in the dark suit looked at the fallen form of Ryouji Kaji, before pulling up a small phone, clicking it on and speaking into it directly.  
  
"The target has been found and terminated. Assignment completed."  
  
The agent didn't wait to receive congratulations before he placed the phone back inside of his coat. A smirk landed on his features, nothing more then an insult to the body that now laid before him. His voice was eerily clear as it sounded through the silent alleyway.  
  
"The infamous agent Kaji. He was a bit easier to kill then I would have hoped for..."  
  
He didn't even get a chance to respond as he heard a soft click and the feel of cold metal being pressed against the back of his head.  
  
"So were you..."  
  
The only answer Christian received was the sound of brains and blood meeting concrete as he pulled the trigger. The Section-2 agent fell roughly to the ground, his body registering the fact that it couldn't live without the vital organ that was so violently removed from it's skull. Christian watched the body hit the ground with a cold aggression in his eyes. The only thing that kept him from bringing the gun up and firing into the corpse, was the sound of a person groaning their way back in consciousness.  
  
The blonde bodyguard quickly rushed over to the fallen stubbly stud, who's body had decided that it was done with nap time, and now would be as good a time as ever to wake up. Christian helped him into a sitting position, as Kaji's eyes cracked open and he caught sight of the body laying several feet away.  
  
"Well, if that's not something everyone should wake up and see..."  
  
Christian smiled as he realized Kaji was perfectly fine. The young man helped the ex-agent up to his feet, before walking over to the now cooling corpse. Christian knelt down, inspecting the dead man as the man behind him began to strip away the light flack jacket he had worn under his shirt.  
  
"How did you know that Misato wasn't actually going to show up?"  
  
The blonde bodyguard continued to rummage around inside of the agents clothes, answering the question presented before him.  
  
"Because she loves you too much. Everyone knew that. Even the Commander. The plan was for her to deal with you directly, and have everything done and over with. But Ikari knew that she would never go through with it. So he had tapped into the phones when you called, knowing sooner or later you would make contact. When he found out your location, he dispatched one of his agents to do the job he knew Misato wouldn't do."  
  
Kaji listened softly as he unstrapped the jacket, pulling it off and depositing it next to the fallen agent. He looked down as Christian continued to search through the man's suit. When the blonde was satisfied that everything was in order, he pulled out the gun he had used and handed it to Kaji. The ex-agent took it without another word, placing his hand on it in several places, making sure that his prints would easily show up on the weapon. He did this for a moment, before also dropping the weapon next to the dead agent.  
  
Christian stood up and removed the gloves he had been wearing, stuffing them back inside of his jacket pocket. He reached inside of his coat, pulling out a plane ticket, and a thick stack of what seemed to be American money. He held them out for the stubbly stud that stood in front of him. Kaji's trademark smile came across his features as took the care package that the young man was presenting him. When he took the gift, his face suddenly became somewhat serious.  
  
"I want you to be careful. With what's happening now, there's no telling what will happen in the near future. Ikari's already ordered the dispatch of Unit Six and Unit Seven. They will be here within the month. I've been pulling in a few favors that I have, and I've been trying to mobilize something that I hope will help in the end. When the time comes, I'll do my best to support you any way that I can."  
  
Christian smiled as Kaji declared his unwavering allegiance to him. The young man just pulled the ex-agent into a tight hug. The two stayed that way for awhile, before they broke off, and Kaji clasped his hands on the shoulders of the man that stood in front of him.  
  
"I always knew you'd grow into a fine man..."  
  
Without another word, Ryouji Kaji, special agent for Nerv and Seele, walked away, disappearing into the night of Tokyo-3.  
  
Christian watched as the man easily fell into the darkness. He stood there for a few moments, before his hand finally wrapped around the object he knew so well. He brought it up to his ear, just as the connection went through.  
  
"Everything is proceeding as planned..."**_

* * *

_**  
  
Author's Notes:  
  
Holy crap. It' 4:30 in the morning, and I just couldn't stop writing. I apologize to everyone for taking so long to write this chapter. I've been in the process of moving, and it has sapped quite a bit of my time. I just hope everyone enjoys what I have for them in this one. ;)  
  
I've had a few emails about various questions that my friends have had when they read this, and I figured I might as well explain them now when I post this installment.  
  
Number One: Will this fic extend past the series?  
  
YES! This fic is going to go well beyond the series. I'm sure most of you have noted that I had the storyline plotted very late in the series. I've already planned most of what I intend to do with this, and when I though it over in my head, I realized that it will definitely go way beyond the series.  
  
Number Two: WHERE'S THE ROMANCE?!  
  
I know I said there would be romance, but unfortunately, I've started my fic in a spot that won't allow me to implement romance just yet. But don't worry, it is definitely one the way, and it will be a fairly big building block in later chapters.  
  
Number Three: Will all chapters be this long?  
  
That, I'm not sure of. At the moment, I've kind of got a base to work with from the series. When things finally lift off, everything will be from my mind from that point on. I can't promise that all chapters will be this long, or close too, but I will do my damnedest to see that I can get them that way.  
  
Once again, I want to thank everyone for the reviews, I love you all. Especially Jennyjennai, Cyber-Undead, and Lonely Magician, who seem to to be right on top of me with each one. Thanks for the support everyone. Also, I've turned off the option that only allows signed reviews. I didn't know I had it turned on in the first place until I logged in to check something with my account. I apologize to all the anonymous reviewers that may have tried to review before hand, but now there should be no problem.  
  
I will begin working on the next chapter as soon as I get settled in my new surroundings. :)  
  
Until I see you all again, please, take care of yourselves.  
_****_

_** Chris  
**_

Thalarian T.M. Productions


	5. Chapter 4: Like Drops Of Emerald

Disclaimer: See the first chapter. I apologize that Document Manager seemed to erase all my TABS that I had in front of each paragraph. That damn thing just decides to play with every chapter I add on  
  
Thalarian T.M. Productions Presents:

* * *

Neon Genesis Evangelion:  
  
Project Blue Blood - Chapter 4: Like Drops Of Emerald

* * *

Christian sat at his table, quietly looking over the information he had just received. The screen of his laptop flashed with each click of the rodent named machine in his hand. Information that held names, places, dates. Anything and everything he would need in order to complete what he was assigned to do. He already had the specifications of Unit-06, Unit-07, and Unit-08. He was mildly surprised to find that mass production was happening with Unit-05. However, his contact was still searching for the information as to the specifications and numbers of that Unit.  
  
That was obviously, highly classified information. Highly classified information, that he desperately needed.  
  
_So I know whether we're going to live or not..._  
  
He grimaced lightly when something popped into his head. Memories that he wished wouldn't plague his sleep anymore. Without warning, he grabbed the nearby aspirin bottle, and popped 4 of the pain relievers into his mouth. The blonde bodyguard didn't even use any liquid as he crunched them around in his mouth, grimacing as the terrible gravel textured medicine made its was down his throat.  
  
He looked back at the screen in front of him, glancing over some of the previous information.  
  
**Pilot Status: Active. Training 97 complete. Shows no signs of mental instability.  
  
Departure: New Beijing, China. Aerial Liftoff. Pilot will be included in Liftoff.  
  
Destination: Tokyo-2, Japan. After Aerial Support lands, ground units to transport Unit and pilot to Nerv 1st Branch, in Tokyo-3 .  
  
Compatibility: 80 Percent Sychro Ratio. 3rd ranked synchro ratio. Ikari, Shinji - 89, Langley Sorhyu, Asuka - 86, Ayanami, Rei - 77, Suzahara, Touji - 54. Should make a good addition to already existing pilots.  
  
Personality: Very outgoing. Optimistic and light-hearted. Seems very eager to meet pilots Ikari, Shinji and Langley Sorhyu, Asuka. Does take mild medication for light depression. Only when needed and as directed. Does not interfere with synch ratio and piloting skill.**  
  
**Medical History: Records will be sent with pilot.  
  
Personal Notes: A pilot with a quick intellect and sharp reflexes. Answers very well to orders and very easy to get along with.  
  
I hope you treat her with better respect then you do with most people, Ikari.  
  
Regards,  
Commander Hasagawa, Nerv 5th Branch.  
**  
Before he had any time to fully digest any of the information, he heard the soft buzz of his doorbell. He glanced up at his clock, noticing that it was just passing 9 in the morning. He smiled lightly.  
  
_He wouldn't know it, but he's right on time..._  
  
The young man stood up and walked over to the door, letting it automatically slide open. He was greeted with the sight of a slightly ragged brown haired boy. Shinji's eyes seemed to find something about his shoes absolutely fascinating, because he stared at them the entire time. Christian was just about to invite him in, when the young boy's meek voice floated softly through the air.  
  
"Can I talk to you for awhile?"  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Christian sat back down at the table, pushing a warm cup of tea to his honored guest. Shinji thanked him, but made no move to take the offered beverage.  
  
"So I take it Misato's probably still asleep."  
  
Shinji nodded lightly. "She called in sick to work."  
  
Christian just took a sip of his drink, staring at the Evangelion pilot intently, trying to read the boy's thoughts.  
  
"Why do I feel this way?"  
  
This, however, had gotten the blonde bodyguards attention.  
  
Shinji continued silently. "Every time I feel that something is finally going right, something else goes wrong. Misato's hardly home, I can barely talk to Rei. Asuka's closed herself off and won't let anyone talk to her without her snapping or getting violent. My father is just as cold to me as he was when he left me as a child. And Kaji...he's...he's..."  
  
This time, the boy couldn't hold back his tears. Spending an entire night looking after Misato as she cried in her bed, calling out her lovers name over and over, finally took his toll on the already fragile boy. His shoulders shook as small sobs escaped from his throat. Christian frowned as he stood up, walking over and placing an arm around the shuddering child.  
  
After several minutes of this, Shinji finally was able to get himself under control. When the blonde bodyguard felt that the Third Child had gotten himself under control, he walked back to his side of the table, taking a small sip of his tea. There was not much he could do or say for the child that sat in front of him, but he knew that he would have to try nevertheless. He thought to himself for a moment, a finger tapping lightly on his lips. Finally, he smiled, almost changing the entire atmosphere of the dreary apartment.  
  
"I told you that I would teach you a few things about martial arts, didn't I?"  
  
The boy in front of him suddenly looked slightly startled.  
  
"Um yeah...b-but I don't think I'd be any good..."  
  
"Nonsense..."  
  
Shinji's weak response was severely crushed under Christian's wave of a hand.  
  
"Nobody is ever any good the first time they do anything Shinji. That's why the word 'practice' was created."  
  
Shinji blushed slightly, feeling a bit silly in front of his bodyguard. The blonde man just laughed back, patting the boy on the arm.  
  
"I'm not going to make you do anything right now. However, considering that this is Sunday, and you've got no school and no Nerv to contend with, I'd like you to get home and get some rest. Come back over here at around five o'clock tonight, and we'll get you started."  
  
The fragile boy just hung his head slightly.  
  
"You really don't have to...I don't want to be a both..."  
  
"Better go get some sleep now, otherwise you're not going to get enough rest for tonight."  
  
Shinji glanced up to see that his bodyguard had completely ignored his futile attempts to back out of it. Despite it all, Shinji smiled lightly and mumbled a brief thank you, before getting up and making his way back next door. Not even a moment after the blonde bodyguard had heard his door hiss shut, did his Nerv assigned cellular phone go off. He picked it up and noticed that it was Ritsuko's number, obviously calling him into work. He grimaced, noting that he himself had not received any sleep the night before as well. Without warning, he reached out and began scooping large amounts of sugar into his tea. When he was certain that the tea was holding enough sugar, especially since it was now more of a gooey slime ball then a liquid, he pulled it up to his lips and downed the entire cups worth.  
  
He sighed and answered his phone, hearing Ritsuko's somewhat cheerful voice come through. After being informed of the activities for the day, and the part he would have to play in them, he came to one single conclusion...  
  
His blonde ass would need at least two more cups of that tea...  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The blonde scientist sat silently behind one of the many consoles in front of her, watching as data streamed down a screen like a waterfall of computer language. She made notes here and there, noting what was important and what was not. A cigarette was balanced on her lips lazily, and the brunette trainee next to her was typing away at her own console. A smile danced on her lips as she heard the door behind them open softly. She swiveled in her chair and smiled lightly towards the blonde man who was just shrugging on his own red Nerv uniform.  
  
"Thanks for coming in on such short notice."  
  
Christian smiled tiredly back at Ritsuko, shaking his head softly.  
  
"Not a problem, just keep a constant stream of caffeine in me and I should be ok."  
  
"Hi Christian."  
  
Maya smiled brightly at him, which he returned with a shy smile and a blush. Before he could even think of giving a reply, a small manila folder was handed to him. Ritsuko wasn't even looking in his direction when she had stretched out and held the file towards him. He took in gingerly and began to flip through it, nodding in understanding.  
  
"More tests on the Dummy Plug?"  
  
She nodded softly, taking a few more notes from the screen in front of her. Just when he was about to take a seat on the other side of the blonde scientist, she looked at him softly.  
  
"Not only that, but I would like you to run a few diagnostic checks on Unit Two."  
  
He looked at her oddly while he sat down.  
  
"Unit Two?"  
  
Ritsuko nodded softly.  
  
"Asuka's synch ratio has slowly started to decline. We're not sure if it's because her recent battle with the last Angel or not, but we need to know whether its the Eva...or her."  
  
He didn't acknowledge the doctor's comments as he booted up the console in front of him, numbly staring forward.  
  
"And if it's Asuka?"  
  
The only sound the resounded in the general area of the three was the small breath of smoke that was pushed out of Ritsuko's lungs, she had a slightly grim feature on her face when her voice finally cut through the tense moment.  
  
"Then she'll have to be...replaced."  
  
Maya looked between her mentor and the blonde bodyguard and noticed that the ladder of the two had a soft scowl over his features, while the former, sensing the disdain in the blonde bodyguard, tried hard not to let the nervousness creep to her features. The brunette cutey gave the two one more glance, before she started back on her own work.  
  
Many hours passed as the three work diligently on their own projects. Of course if anyone were to step into the general area they'd be knocked back by the wall of tension. Christian looked at his screen some more, taking notes and typing in commands. After a bit more of that, he leaned back and stretched, wincing slightly as he felt his back and neck popping in a few places. Just as he was about to sit forward, he felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He glanced up to see Ritsuko staring at his screen.  
  
"Excellent job. Finish up the diagnostic checks if you would. I'm going to take a break for awhile, but I can finish the rest of this when I get back. Go ahead and take off."  
  
He smiled lightly. "Thanks."  
  
Before he could move however, she gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.  
  
"I didn't mean anything by what I said earlier. I know you've already developed a bit of an attachment to the children." She laughed lightly. "It's somewhat hard not to when we deal with them so much. Everyone here kind of feels a certain dedication to them for what they have to go through for our safety. Especially Shinji..."glancing in his direction quite a bit.  
  
The young man nodded, letting out a long breath.  
  
"I know. But we're protecting mankind, so sometimes we need to do things that we don't really want to."  
  
Ritsuko's eyes just misted over for a moment, and she gave a quick sidelong glance at the MAGI system that was settled behind them in the command center.  
  
"How right you are..."  
  
After the blonde scientist gathered a few of her things, she stood up and began walking towards the door. However, before she got there, and evil little thought pushed it's way into her head. She glanced back and noticed a slight blush that had dawned on Maya's cheeks. Obviously, she was just a bit nervous about being in the same room as the young man that had obviously gathered her attention. Ritsuko's suspicions were only confirmed when she noted that the young brunette taking quick glances in his direction.  
  
_Maybe it's time to give her a little push..._  
  
Ritsuko turned around and grinned widely.  
  
"You know Maya, Christian hasn't quite had enough time to enjoy some of the coffee and and other refreshments down in the rec' room. Perhaps you would like to show him around a bit down there?"  
  
The two people in question looked at each other, blushing, and then turned back to the mentally laughing doctor. Ritsuko could barely hold in her laughing, even as Maya's voice made a resounding 'WHAT?!' echo through the Nerv structure. Ritsuko's only answer was to turn around, smiling her way out of the center. A slight silence fell over the two as their gazes fell back on one another, blushes deepening. Now Maya was not a stupid girl by any means, and usually she went with what her heart told her to do, unless she was under the steely eyes of Commander Ikari. After much indecisiveness and lip chewing, she finally offered the young blonde a slight smile.  
  
"Care to join me for a cup of coffee?"  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Despite Nerv's horrible work schedule, which fluctuates with more hours every week, and it's death-like interior design...  
  
It sure had some damn good coffee...  
  
At least, that was what ran through Christian's mind as he sipped his hot brew in Nerv's recreational facility. He had only been in here a few times, and upon further investigation, he realized that it was more then just a lounge area. At the far wall were a row of at least 20 closed off bedrooms, all designed to be quick rest areas for employees with long work schedules. On the other side was a behind him was a typical cafeteria layout, only with a bit more tasteful food. On his right was a whole assortment of snack machines and and frozen food dispenser, next to a long line of countered microwaves. He smiled lightly when he glanced behind himself and noted the large coffee and tea shop that rested a short ways away.  
  
_Figures they'd need something like that in this place..._  
  
He blushed lightly when he noticed the rear end of a somewhat fidgety brunette technician, who was now producing her own cup of tea. The blonde bodyguard quickly turned around and whapped himself in the forehead. He just barely got himself under control when Maya sat down across from him in one of the many small dining booths. Despite her reddened cheeks and fidgety demeanor, a shy smile was plastered on her lips and she couldn't help but feel very excited.  
  
The poor girl mentally kicked herself, trying to remind herself that she was a grown woman. She glanced up, noticing her drinking partner was in quite the same predicament.  
  
"So...how are you enjoying your time here in Tokyo Three so far?"  
  
The blonde bodyguard cried inwardly, happy that the woman before him started some sort of small talk. He certainly didn't have the courage built up yet. He took a sip of his black brew, staring down into it.  
  
"It's not too bad yet. Of course, the Angels I could live without but other then that it's not so bad. The Children keep a bit of my time occupied, but so far I've enjoyed the experience."  
  
Maya smiled. "That's good. Of course, without the Angels, you wouldn't have a job. And without a job, you wouldn't be stationed here in Tokyo."  
  
Christian laughed lightly and finally steeled his nerves a little bit, looking up at the brunette before him.  
  
"Very true, then I wouldn't have had the chance to meet the people that I've met."  
  
Feeling his smile, the brunette tech blushed and looked down into her cup. That was until a soft, but stern voice sliced through their little piece of heaven.  
  
"Would you mind if I borrow your drinking partner for a moment, Lieutenant?"  
  
Both glanced up at the stoic statue of one Sub-Commander Fyuutski, a slight smile across his age weathered face. As if they were connected, both stood at attention and saluted. The Sub-Commander smiled a bit more and waved a dismissive hand.  
  
"At ease."  
  
Christian turned and gave Maya an apologetic bow, promising another time, before he turned at caught up with the Sub-Commander, who was now walking down one of the many halls that made up the web-line interior of Nerv. The two fell in step with one another, the younger of the two waiting for the elder to state was on his mind, but was met with only silence. The two continued like that for some time, until Fyuutski finally handed him a small steel case, not even glancing at the young bodyguard or breaking stride.  
  
"This is the personal profile and information on the Sixth Child."  
  
Christian gave him a somewhat startled look. "Sixth Child? What about a Fifth Child?"  
  
Fyuutski shook his head. "There are...circumstances...surrounding the Fifth Child slot. For the time being, we are going to our next alternative."  
  
The young bodyguard nodded, opening the case as the two of them continued to walk.  
  
"**Guardianship of the Sixth Child?!**"  
  
Fyuutski stopped for a moment, looking back at where his subordinate had stopped dead in his tracks. Christian just looked up and then back down at the files held in his hand.  
  
"You want me to be the Sixth Child's guardian?!"  
  
Fyuutski smiled lightly, still standing a few feet in front of the young man.  
  
"You do not accept?"  
  
If it were possible, the young bodyguard looked even more stunned.  
  
"That's not it at all sir...I just don't think..."  
  
Fyuutski's smile faded, and a stern expression overcame his somber features.  
  
"You do not get paid to think outside of your job requirements."  
  
That simple statement made the young blonde in front of him clam up, as his jaw firmly slammed before anything else could be said. He just gave a somewhat stunned salute. This of course, broke through the grey-haired commanders stern facade, as another smile split his face.  
  
"Besides, it was my recommendation. I feel you are more then adequately qualified to do such a duty."  
  
With that said, Fyuutski turned and started down the hall, not even turning to glance at the dumbfounded blonde he left behind. Christian just stared as the Sub-Commander turned around a corner, before finally browsing through more of the briefcase. He pulled out a small folder, with a picture and data sheets inside it. The picture held the face of a very pretty young Chinese girl, her hair, long and black, was held in a ponytail. Her smile was soft, and her eyes sparkling. He looked it over, coming to a swift conclusion in his head.  
  
_This is the child I was notified about...  
  
Mai-Li Xiong...  
  
The Sixth... Child..._  
  
Without warning, his jaw clenched, and his hand gripped the case so hard that it began to bend.  
  
_You son-of-a-bitch, Gendo!_  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Christian was somewhat surprised to find that only one employee was left in the console room when he returned. The person swiveled in their chair, shooting him a lavish grin.  
  
"So how was your little date?"  
  
"What?!"  
  
The blonde scientist was having quite a time prodding her two pupils on. She motioned for him to take a seat next to her, as she finished a few commands on the computer in front of her. The young bodyguard took a seat, leaning back and trying his best to hide the somewhat red hue that had come across his cheeks. Ritsuko smiled, lighting a cigarette and leaning over, patting his leg.  
  
"I'm just tugging your chain. Maya actually wanted me to relay an apology to you. She had a family emergency and had to run out before she could say goodbye."  
  
He nodded slightly, smiling to himself and giving some thought to the soft conversation they had over their coffee earlier. Ritsuko took a sidelong glance at the the computer screen next to her. Making a few more notes, and taking a long drag from the cancer stick in her lips, the blonde scientist turned back the the young man in front of her, noticing the case he had in his hands.  
  
"I see Fyuutski has already informed you?"  
  
The blonde man looked up questioningly, noticing that Ritsuko was confirming the package that he held in his hands. He looked down, nodding lightly.  
  
"Yes, he has."  
  
Ritsuko could see the uncertainty in his eyes, and she once again patted his leg.  
  
"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll handle it just fine. Like I've said before, I've seen how you are with the Children, so this should come as a second nature."  
  
Ritsuko leaned back, putting her cigarette into the nearby ashtray.  
  
"If it's any consolation, you won't have to go alone. When she arrives here in three days, I'll be accompanying you. I have to run a few diagnostics checks and other requirements on the Unit before we even leave with it. Thank the event of Unit Three for that one. I don't think Misato will be joining us...she's...still not feeling her best."  
  
The young bodyguard was trained to seek out any hidden emotions or feelings. Because of that fact, he was able to read the hurt behind Ritsuko's eyes, as if she had come right out and said that she had spent the previous night crying for the only two people she could ever consider her friends. One which she believed was dead, and the other she knew was dying on the inside. A quick smile came across her face, trying it's best to block out any thoughts that could even related to the previous nights events. Christian knew that the scientist in front of him probably knew what was going to happen last night, but he couldn't fault her, she wouldn't have been able to stop anything even if she had tried.  
  
No, Ritsuko was going to play her part soon, and he would see that she made it out alive as well. A frown creased across his lips. Ritsuko would not be damned. Misato would not be damned. Neither of them would be. He would not allow it. His mind flared, and he felt his hand tightening.  
  
_Not Shinji...  
  
Not Asuka...  
  
Not Touji...  
  
Not Maya...  
  
Nobody..._  
  
Nobody was going to ever be exposed to the hell he had to endure. He would give his life before anything like that ever happened.  
  
_I will not allow you to kill everyone Ikari. I will fucking destroy you before I ever let that happen..._  
  
"...tian?"  
  
He was quickly snapped out of his ferocious thoughts at the sound of a soft voice calling his name, and a soft hand patting his. He saw Ritsuko calling his name, trying to get his attention. The blonde bodyguard blushed embarrassedly, scratching the back of his head.  
  
"I apologize Ritsuko, I zoned out for a minute."  
  
She looked at him uncertainly for a moment, a soft look of concern across her features. She leaned back for a moment, another smile forming on her lips.  
  
"If you're worried about being the Sixth Child's guardian, I'm sure you could always have Maya come over to play the mother...and you play the husband, husbandly duties included."  
  
"Huh?!"  
  
Ritsuko laughed lightly, winking at the young man before her. He blushed and hung his head a little. Something struck inside of the blonde scientists head as she gazed at him, putting a thoughtful finger to her lips. She smiled lightly, crossing her legs and putting on her typical 'Doctor Knows Best' look.  
  
"You've never really been with a woman have you? Relationship or otherwise..."  
  
The young man in front of her let out a somewhat frustrated sigh. Ritsuko knew the moment that it escaped his lips, that it was not frustration directed towards her. He ran a soft hand through his hair.  
  
"I've never had the chance. Life like mine, you never really get an opening to be with a woman, even for a night. So a potential relationship was also out of the question. I couldn't tell you the first thing I know about relationships, because I've never had one."  
  
This information slowly sunk into Ritsuko's logical mind. She glanced him over, setting her hands in her lap, softly rocking her leg that was crossed over the other. She felt very sorry for the young man in front of her. Ritsuko had never expected that the young man had never truly had a relationship of any kind with the fairer sex, especially with the way he carried himself when he walked. He had a soft confidence and a very personable attitude, but she was starting to see where his confidence waned in certain areas, especially when a woman of interest was concerned. His constant stuttering and blushing was an attest to that. Finally, feeling that perhaps it was time to retract from such a conversation, she gave him a soft nod, turning back to her console.  
  
"Well, I'll see you in a few days. Escorting will probably arrive fairly early in the morning, so make sure you're up and ready. The Unit and pilot are set to arrive in the afternoon. Should give you long enough to get situated with her and get to know her a bit."  
  
Christian nodded, standing up and heading for the door. He realized that it was starting to come close to 5 o'clock, and he needed to be home soon since Shinji would be arriving around that time. Before he made his way out though, a soft call of his name halted his soft footfalls. The young man turned, seeing Ritsuko still typing away on her console. She didn't face him as her voice picked up again.  
  
"Just keep doing what you did today, and you should be fine."  
  
Christian stood there for a moment, not entirely sure what the blonde scientist was referring too. When it finally did click, a small smile fell gracefully onto his lips. He knew she wouldn't be able to see him, but he gave a soft, light bow along with a silently mouthed 'Thanks'.  
  
Unknown to him, as he walked through the electronic sliding door, was that she had seen it through his reflection on the monitor. She had a faint smile all afternoon.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Shinji pressed the door chime hesitantly. He had no idea what the older bodyguard had in store for him, and frankly, he was a bit worried. Although Shinji was never one to stereotype things or people, but he had seen plenty of martial arts movies. All of them had consisted of someone that knew nothing of the art, being taught by someone that was overly strict or very abusive in their technique. So when the door slid open and he was met with a predatory grin by his bodyguard, Shinji felt justified in thinking he wouldn't make it out alive.  
  
"Hey Shinji, get enough sleep?"  
  
The young boy couldn't find his voice, losing it somewhere on the way up his throat. Instead he opted to give the smiling blonde a curt nod, eyes darting around the apartment like he was afraid a paper fan or hand would come out of nowhere and smack him into his first lesson. When the blonde bodyguard turned away from him and walked silently towards the equipment, Shinji realized that it might not quite be as bad as he thought. He followed quietly, tugging at his own clothes uncertainly. He had worn an undershirt that he usually wore under his school uniform and a pair of gym shorts that he also had.  
  
He noticed his bodyguard motioning for him to take a seat on the end of the weight bench, and Shinji complied quietly, watching as the older blonde took a seat on the other spare weight bench. He was a bit puzzled when the older of the two pulled out a tennis ball, gently tossing it up and catching it repeatedly. Christian gave him a stern look before beginning.  
  
"Martial arts isn't about fighting Shinji. It's about learning control, learning focus, and learning about yourself. No one person that has studied martial arts has walked out of it knowing only how to fight, but also knowing how to focus. Do you understand so far?"  
  
The boy in question nodded slowly.  
  
"Now, I would like you to go stand over by that wall."  
  
Shinji looked to the area that his bodyguard was referring. With a slight nod, he stood and walked over to the wall, standing still. Christian stood up, stilling tossing the ball up and down.  
  
"Now could you close your eyes?"  
  
"O-okay."  
  
Shinji wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but he complied, albeit a bit nervously. He kept his eyes closed, and slowly time passed. His hands began to sweat profusely as he had no idea what was going on. Finally, when he was finally getting ready to re-open his eyes, he felt something whip past his head, barely skimming his ear in the process, and smacking against the wall. The boy's eyes shot open and he gave a startled yelp, stumbling to the side. That was when he noticed Christian's grin, as the tennis ball softly bounced back to him.  
  
"W-what was that?!"  
  
Christian only shook his head in response, smile never wavering.  
  
"Today's first lesson Shinji, now what was your reaction right there?"  
  
Shinji, still not quite understanding what was going on answered simply.  
  
"U-umm, I was startled?"  
  
Christian shook his head, finally explaining the situation to the young boy in front of him.  
  
"No, you got scared. There are two lessons I want you to gain from this Shinji. One; you can't panic every time trouble comes your way. The reason I have you close your eyes, is because nobody can ever really see danger until it's right in your face. The problem is though, you can't suddenly clam up with fear just because you don't know what's going on. You'll probably never see the danger that's going to happen to you Shinji, until it's right on your doorstep, but a martial artist is always aware. Even if he doesn't know what the danger is, or can't identify it, he recognizes that it's there. In my years, I've never seen scared or panicked emotions help someone overcome any danger or fear. This exercise is to help you know that danger comes your way no matter what, but you have stand your ground and be strong, instead of panicking. You have to be aware of what is going on around you, and act accordingly. Now, can you stand there again with your eyes closed once more?"  
  
Shinji's mind quietly tried to digest everything the blonde bodyguard was telling him, so he obediently stood in the same spot closing his eyes. He stood there for a few moments, once again feeling fairly nervous. This time he tried to brace himself for the ball to come sailing past his head, but what happened next caught him completely off guard. He heard the whir of the ball coming in his direction, but he wasn't prepared for it to smack him squarely in the forehead. His eyes shot open and he stumbled for a moment, holding the sore spot directly on his forehead, giving Christian an astonished look.  
  
"W-what was that for?!"  
  
Christian smiled ruefully as the ball slowly rolled back to him.  
  
"Lesson Two; every time danger comes your way, you're bound to feel pain in some way shape or form, now does your forehead still hurt?"  
  
Shinji felt his forehead a few more times, then shook his head. "Not really..." Christian nodded.  
  
"See? Although pain does hurt, it goes away over time. That's something else you need to understand. You can't go through life doing everything you can to not feel any pain. It's really inevitable. Pain does cause hurt, yes, but it will dissipate overtime. No pain is really everlasting, emotionally or physically. Those who understand this find that it's easier to overcome hurt when they do experience it. Those who try their hardest to stay away from it, find it's harder to overcome once they feel it. Understand?"  
  
Shinji nodded softly, still a bit surprised. He felt his body run cold when Christian bounced the ball against the ground a couple times. However, it wasn't the bouncing ball that made him nervous, it was the predatory grin that the young man before him had.  
  
"Now then, mind closing your eyes again Shinji?"  
  
Suddenly, Shinji felt that those movies held a lot of validity...  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Shinji graciously offered the cold drink that Christian pushed to him. Tearing off the little cap, he began guzzling, water dripping down the sides of his mouth.  
  
"Drink slower, you'll get a cramp if you keep drinking like that."  
  
The boy blushed a bit embarrassedly, taking much softer gulps from the plastic container. The past three hours wasn't nearly as bad as the pilot had first feared they would be. Christian had mainly just started off with the tennis ball a few more times, before sitting him back down and explaining many of the fundamentals on martial arts and the things he could learn. He explained a few ways of focusing and a few very basic maneuvers, even letting Shinji try his luck at a couple of them. Of course, none of it went the way Shinji would have liked, but his bodyguard insisted that it wouldn't be something he would learn overnight. The blonde man finally set him up on the treadmill, explaining that a lot of martial arts has nothing to do with muscle, but with how long your body can sustain it's focus and speed. He explained many times that he'd seen smaller, much faster opponents beat the daylights out of larger ones.  
  
_No amount of muscle can save someone if they run out of breath in a matter of seconds..._  
  
Then his bodyguard had given a somewhat awkward laugh.  
  
_Of course, if the muscle bound fool can get you in that matter of seconds..._  
  
Shinji was a bit curious as to why Christian left that statement open at the time, but felt it really wasn't his place to ask. So, for nearly a half hour, his bodyguard had set him up with a fairly good jog. The young pilot was very surprised to find that, even though his legs were fairly sore, he actually felt somewhat refreshed. He glanced down when he noticed something else being slid across the table, his eyes widening a little bit. "This is...?"  
  
Christian nodded. "It's a key card to my apartment."  
  
"I can't take this, I'd feel like I was intru..."  
  
Christian cut him off with a wave of his hand. "Shinji, if I felt like you were intruding, I wouldn't have given it to you."  
  
That simple statement killed any other objection the young pilot may have had. So, without any further resistance, he picked up the small piece of plastic. He didn't even get a chance to inquire about it, before his bodyguard began explaining.  
  
"There might be times I'm not at home Shinji, and so I would like to give you the availability to the equipment here, without having to limit your usage to my schedule. The only thing I ask of you, is stay out of my room, and stay out of that room there." Christian pointed to the spare bedroom, located right next door to his own.  
  
Shinji nodded. "I can understand your room, but why the other?"  
  
This of course brought on the next part that Christian was getting ready to explain.  
  
"Because it's going to be occupied by the Sixth Child..."  
  
**Blink.  
  
Blink Blink.**  
  
"What?!"  
  
The young bodyguard couldn't help but laugh at Shinji's comical, yet very confused expression. The young man finally began to elaborate.  
  
"Commander Ikari has ordered the dispatch of the Sixth Child, along with Unit Six. Both will be arriving here within the next few days. I just figured that it was fair to tell you this time around, since you were out of the loop last time a pilot was brought on board."  
  
Shinji grimaced for a moment, remembering the incident with Unit-04. He quickly killed the thoughts before they became overbearing, instead focusing on the information just presented to him.  
  
"Is it another of my classmates?"  
  
The blonde bodyguard shook his head. "No, she's from China. As far as I know, she's actually been training for a few months now. Not much else is known at the moment, I'm sure most of her personal history and other things will arrive when she does."  
  
The young pilot's head sunk a little lower. "It's...because of Asuka's sync ratio...isn't it?"  
  
Christian raised an eyebrow, glancing at the boy in front of him.  
  
_He's much smarter then he gives himself credit for..._  
  
The blonde gave out a long sigh before he answered. "Honestly, I'm not sure. It wouldn't surprise me though. The Angel's are getting stronger and our resources are getting weaker."  
  
Shinji nodded for a moment, before drinking the rest of his water, and standing up.  
  
"Thanks for the lessons Christian, I really appreciate it."  
  
The man smiled, nodding his head as Shinji made his way out of the door. A frown came over his face when it finally hissed shut, as he pulled an all too familiar phone from his coat pocket.  
  
It rang only once before the other end connected.  
  
This was no time for pleasantries, as his voice cut straight to the point.  
  
"I might be having some unplanned company soon."  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
_This is our first dinner together in awhile...wonder why it's so gloomy..._  
  
That was the thought that rang through Misato's head as she observed her two charges, each eating in their own conservative silence. Shinji had a soft expression on his face, but the purple haired goddess couldn't come close to figuring out what he was feeling since his eyes were closed. Asuka's eyes were also closed, but it was clearly evident that she was far from happy. Especially with the scowl she had on her face.  
  
Shinji ate in relative silence, not because he wanted to, but because he honestly didn't know what to say. Misato avoided everything that was related to Kaji and Asuka wouldn't even listen half the time he did say something. Last night was his very first lesson with Christian, and tonight his bodyguard had told him to relax a bit, and they would start up again tomorrow or the night after.  
  
"I'm done."  
  
Asuka's soft declaration was enough to break Shinji's thoughts. Her obvious irritation with him and Misato made the poor boy frown, as she kept her eyes closed, even as she stood. The phone began ringing softly, and all three just stayed in their places as the first ring died down. Finally, the fiery red-head made a soft snort and walked past the loud device, not even giving it a second glance.  
  
"Asuka!"  
  
The redhead was none to pleased when her guardian called her name in exasperation.  
  
"Why should I answer it, not like it's for me! It's probably Kaji anyways!  
  
The purple tressed woman hid her quick look of pain very quickly, although not quite quick enough to evade Shinji's eyes. His heart sunk a little more when Misato mumbled silently, something about Kaji not calling anymore. Deciding that the argument definitely needed to be ended before it got out of hand, he stood up and made his way over to the phone.  
  
"Well now, here comes Invincible Shinji to the rescue! He not only saves the world, but he answers phones as well!"  
  
He was very happy that his back was to her, otherwise she would have seen him flinch when the barbed remark made it's way into his skin.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
A soft, but heavily accented voice made it's way over the phone.  
  
"Hello! Is Asuka there?"  
  
"Hold on."  
  
Shinji took the receiver from his ear, looking at the phone for a moment. It was definitely an older woman, someone that obviously was from Asuka's homeland. He smiled lightly, his mind instantly concluding who he believed the person to be. He walked up behind the fuming redhead, holding the phone out.  
  
"Asuka?"  
  
"What?!"  
  
The young pilot was a little taken aback when the fiery beauty spun on her heal, her word all but slinging venom out with it. However, Shinji braced a smile, deciding now was not a good time to be apologizing.  
  
"It's for you. I think it's your mother."  
  
Asuka's eyes widened a bit. "My mother? Gimme' that!"  
  
Without another word, she all but tore the phone from his grasp. Shinji watch in mild fascination as Asuka began to talk to the person on the phone in her native tongue. Although he couldn't understand a thing she was saying, he could tell her tone was now cheery and vibrant. He couldn't help but smile upon seeing this.  
  
She seems like just a normal girl now. Sounding like she's actually happy.  
  
Before his thoughts could continue, she shut off the phone, a soft sigh making it's way past her lips.  
  
"So how is she?"  
  
Asuka gave Shinji a sideways glance.  
  
"It was just a routine phone call. She's not really my mother at all, more like a..."  
  
Shinji watched as the fiery beauty stopped, as if searching for the right wording. That was until her eyes suddenly went wide, mouth flying open.  
  
"Why the hell am I even talking to you about this! I've really sunk low if I need to confide in a loser like you!"  
  
Asuka didn't give the now visible shocked Shinji a chance to respond before she stomped towards the bathroom, slamming the door. Shinji stood there for a moment, his mouth hung open a little bit. Finally, he was able to gather himself enough to walk back towards the table, taking in Misato's apologetic look. Without even acknowledging it, he sat back down, eating his food in silence. Misato did much of the same, hearing the redhead go through her nightly wash routine.  
  
"Will you also be going to pick up the Sixth Child tomorrow."  
  
Shinji wasn't surprised at all when beer was spewed all over the table. In fact, he didn't even stop eating, placing another leisurely bite into his mouth. Deep down, he was actually happy at Misato's reaction. He was never one to hold grudges, and he didn't blame Misato at all for not telling him about Touji, but in a way, he felt like she was still hiding things from him. So he was more then a little pleased in knowing this information.  
  
"W-where did you hear that from?!"  
  
This, however, did catch the young pilot off guard.  
  
"W-well..."  
  
Misato watched as the poor boy began to crumble under her hard gaze. He didn't answer though, he just sat there, shoulders slumped as he tried to hid his face from her. Suddenly, it clicked in Misato's head, and she sat back against her chair, reaching for a towel to wipe up the amber fluid that was now all over her part of the table.  
  
"Don't answer that, I think I already know. I'll have a little chat with him tomorrow. But to answer your question, yes, I will. I guess since you already know, it wouldn't hurt to give you a few details. Unit Six and the Sixth Child will be arriving from China around se..."  
  
"Si..xth..."  
  
Both of the occupants in the dining room looked up, only to meet the pale face of a very petrified redhead.  
  
"Chi...ld...?"  
  
However, in what some would call a medical miracle, her face went from Ayanami pale, to blood red in a matter of seconds. The young boy silently placed his chopsticks on the table, and placed both of his hands against his ears, scrunching his face up in anticipation. The purple haired goddess just pinched the bridge of her nose, also scrunching her face up in anticipation.  
  
"**SIXTH CHILD?!**"  
  
Asuka's screamed almost leveled the entire apartment complex, as it gushed from her throat like a shock wave. Misato finally lifted up her hands.  
  
"God damn it, calm down Asuka, this has nothing to do with..."  
  
"You're full of shit Misato! This is about my scores recently isn't it?!"  
  
The woman in question just set her beer on the edge of the table, raising her voice a few octaves as well.  
  
"No, this was ordered even before your scores started to suffer. The Angel's are getting stronger and we're not sure if we quite have the manpower to handle them should they get any more powerful then they are now."  
  
This did nothing to quell the fire inside of Asuka's mind. She stomped over to the table and slammed her hands down against the innocent piece of wood.  
  
"That's a damn lie and you know it! You, Shinji and everyone else are just trying to push me out of the damn picture! Well I'll show you Misato! I'll show you that you can ship that damn Unit Six and it's damn pilot back to it's own pathetic country! I'll defeat the next Angel and each one after that! I don't need you to tell me that you just don't think I'm a worthy pilot anymore, because I can see it in your **fucking** expression!"  
  
The purple haired major was slowly trying to keep herself calm as the redhead let spit and words fly across the table at her. However, when Asuka made her last statement, Misato's nicely manicured hand crushed the can of beer she was holding, before she also stood, slamming her hands against the already domestically beaten table.  
  
"It's always about you isn't it?! You think this whole thing revolves around you?! Guess what Asuka, it doesn't! This decision was made with you farthest from anyones mind! Nobody honestly really gives a shit about you or your damn feelings! The world does not center around Asuka Langley Sorhyu, and neither does Nerv! We can defeat the Angel's with or without you, so why don't you just stop acting like a god damn five year old with this temper tantrum and **GROW UP**!"  
  
Asuka didn't even get a chance to respond as Misato pushed past her and walked briskly into her own room. The redhead stood there for a moment, mouth hanging open slightly, before another wave of anger came over her.  
  
"I HATE YOU!"  
  
Shinji had been relatively silent through the entire thing. He flinched slightly when Asuka ran to her room and slammed the door, rattling a few of the pictures that hung neatly against the wall. He silently glanced between the two closed doors, knowing that each woman had to be brooding in their own thoughts. Without any protest, he just stood, and began gathering the dishes, knowing that neither of them would probably be coming back out this evening. As he began to stack a few of them, he was surprised to see a drop of water fall onto the plate in front of him.  
  
The young pilot just squeezed his eyes shut as a few more tears made it past his eyelids.  
  
_Why is everything falling apart...?_  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Unit-06 was another beautifully perverted image created by man.  
  
It's surface was a smooth green, tipped by grays and blacks. Armor plates much similar to the rest of the series rested on it's chest and back. Shoulder blades extended high into the air, giving the mirrored image of man, a slightly more demonic look. The entire thing look inhuman, especially from it's kneeling position. One knee on the ground, the other braced up. It looked just as rabid and poisonous as the rest of them.  
  
What really made Misato's blood run cold, was the face. A long chin much like Unit-01's, but it missed the horn. In the middle of the face, sat one large eye, with four much smaller ones surrounding it in a diamond formation. It had the ever present grin of many of the others, as if laughing in it's own mind at the pathetic antics of the humans before it.  
  
Misato pulled her jacket a little tighter as an involuntary shudder made it's way down her back. She glared at the metallic monster subconsciously, not even feeling the scowl come across her face.  
  
"They never get any better looking, do they?"  
  
The purple haired goddess glanced to her left, watching as the one woman she had known for so long walked up next to her. Ritsuko also had a disgusted look on her face as she stared up at the Evangelion kneeling before them. Various technicians and other Japanese and Chinese officials worked around the monstrosity as convoy vehicles and other equipment was being prepped and readied for the ride back to Tokyo-03. The blonde scientist just sighed and ran a hand through her hair.  
  
"Shouldn't be too much longer before all the diagnostic checks and scans are complete. Christian has gone ahead to meet the pilot and talk to her for a bit, then he should be back."  
  
Misato didn't respond, as she just continued to stare at the machine. Ritsuko look a sidelong glance at her, before speaking up again.  
  
"Speaking of Mr. Takashi, he seemed a little irritated this morning." Misato could hear the accusing tone in the blonde's voice, especially how it was directed towards her. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that now would you?"  
  
The purple tressed guardian just sighed, knowing damn well that Ritsuko fully suspected she had something to do with it. Misato took a deep breath...  
  
_...before hitting the door chime in front of her.  
  
She had been up much of the night, crying her eyes out. Not because Asuka's hate filled declaration or even Shinji's stone attitude when he had mentioned the Sixth Child, but because she knew she couldn't hide from the truth that she had blocked for so long.  
  
That was that her 'family' was slowly but surely falling apart. Everyday Asuka inched closer and closer to the mental breakdown that the purple haired goddess knew was right around the corner. Shinji was starting to withdraw into himself more and more, hardly even speaking to her, and when he did they were in short sentences. So she was not surprised in the least when Christian answered the door with a shocked expression at the bags under her eyes or the red puffiness or the scowl that had formed across her beautiful features. She wasn't even bothered by his questionable looked when she brushed past him and into his apartment.  
  
"Please...do come in."  
  
Misato was not into the mood for the sarcastic tone that dripped from his lips, and it was all she could do not to spin on her heel and slap him.  
  
"Why did you tell him?"  
  
The blonde bodyguard just kept a steely expression when her question rang through the air.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
This time the purple haired guardian did spin on her heel.  
  
"Don't play mind games with me Takashi!"  
  
His gaze never wavered when he looked at her, although she could make out a slight down slide at the very edge of his lips.  
  
"I'm not playing mind games. I asked you a perfectly reasonable question."  
  
Misato's jaw clenched and she marched right up to the bodyguard, a manicured fingernail poking him directly in the chest..  
  
"Shinji constantly feels like it's his fault that other pilots are suffering. He already feels bad enough that he can't help Asuka, and telling him about another pilot would just make him feel even worse. There's no doubt that he already feels like he's not doing his part and that's why his father is calling on reserves. There's too much other shit for him to worry about, so he doesn't need to worry about these things until it's perfectly necessary."  
  
If Christian was intimidated by the woman in front of him, he did well to hide it. In fact, he even leaned down a little bit, and accusing lining lacing each word that left his mouth.  
  
"Just like he didn't really need to know about his best friend?"  
  
This barb, however, did make it's way into Misato's skin, enough to make her flinch. She steadied herself though, voice becoming just as sharp as the man's in front of her.  
  
"If I had told him about Touji then Shinji wouldn't have even climbed into his Eva. There was no way of letting him know without hurting him. I did what I had to..."  
  
Even Misato knew that her remark felt extremely empty, but that still didn't keep her from saying it.  
  
"Did you justify that thought before or after you got past your hormones for Kaji?"  
  
The purple haired goddess' eyes flash hate for a brief second, and a resounding crack was heard through the entire apartment. Christian stood there, head cocked to the side, and a red mark beginning to creep up onto his cheek. Misato still stood there, arm and hand outstretched, her palm stinging, and eyes stinging as tears slowly began to seep out.  
  
"You don't know me at all!"  
  
Misato stumbled for a moment, when the blonde's head snapped back around, and she could read the blood lust in his eyes. He slowly began to stalk her as she tried to back away, but was caught when she felt a counter behind her. Christian stalked right up to her, noses almost touching as he leaned into her face.  
  
"You're right, I don't know you at all! However, I do know that child well enough to know that hiding things from him is only going to deteriorate his trust in you and in anyone else."  
  
Although Misato was visibly shaken from his quick outburst, her small shred of pride made its way to the surface. Even with her pride, her statement still felt hollow.  
  
"I've been his guardian longer then you've even been here. I know what's best for him..."  
  
This time, the woman could hear the sound of Christian's teeth grinding together, and if it were possible, his face got even closer to hers.  
  
"Do you? Do you really know what's best for those children? Have you looked far enough past yourself to really see what lies underneath the two of them? If you have you certainly don't act the part, and it shows. You may not believe it but they both look up to you, as a guardian and as a friend. You've let your own demons run your life, and if you don't get it together then the two of them are going to be the ones to suffer the consequences!"  
  
Misato's eyes closed halfway through the venom laden words that came from his mouth, and she felt that if any of his spit landed on her, it would have likely burned right through her. She turned her head when he was done talking, trying hard not to cry in front of him but failing miserably. Only when she felt his presence leave her personal space, did she open her eyes and see that he had taken a few steps back. The ferocity in his eyes had softened greatly but his face and his voice were still very hard.  
  
"They count on you more then you may even realize Misato, don't let them down..."  
_  
Ritsuko just kept her eyes forward when her purple haired companion finished retelling the events inside of the blonde bodyguard's apartment.  
  
"I take it that's about the time I rang the door chime?"  
  
Misato just nodded her head, trying not to think about the things that Christian had said to her. Trying to block out how true they were.  
  
"Ritsuko...Misato..."  
  
Both women turned when they heard the soft male voice calling them both. Christian stood not far behind them.  
  
"Allow me to introduce the Sixth Child..."  
  
Upon his declaration, a young girl, the same age as her fellow pilots, stepped out from behind him. Black hair was pulled back into a ponytail that reached the small of her back, and her delicate Chinese features were turned into a very bright smile. She saluted the two women in front of her, and surprised them both when a soft, yet vibrant voice emanated from her throat.  
  
"Mai-Li Xiong, designated pilot of Evangelion Unit Six."  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
The blonde bodyguard was very amused when he watched the other three occupants of the limousine talk about anything and everything. It was going to be a good hour or so before they arrived back at Tokyo-03, especially carrying the heavy luggage of Unit-06 in their convoy.  
  
Mai-Li, or Mai as she had expressed them all to call her, was very vibrant in her own way. She always had some form of smile on her face, and her voice was very melodic, much like Asuka's. Well, much like Asuka's when she wasn't screaming at someone. She had soft features much like her picture had shown, and a body much similar to an albino girl that Christian was also watching over.  
  
Mai smiled as she made light talk with the purple haired woman she had come to know as Major Misato Katsuragi. The raven haired beauty had embarrassed herself when earlier in their meeting she had expressed her surprise at finding that Misato was actually a woman and not a man. This inquiry of course had caused the other two adults to burst into laughter. When the purple tressed woman screamed in protest, Mai had tried to explain that all the information she was given was that she would be briefed by Major Katsuragi, a finely trained 'military-man'. Mai, of course, hadn't realized that 'military-man' was just a nickname many military officials had when they were held in high respect, regardless of gender.  
  
Silence once again filled the back seat of the limousine, each sitting in comfortable silence. Mai was absolutely thrilled to finally be in Japan. She had been elected to be the pilot of Unit-06 nearly five months prior. That was when the very beginning of the Angel attacks began to happen in Japan, and the Chinese government had decided to accelerate her training.  
  
"Mai?"  
  
The girl in question looked up, to find herself staring across at the smiling face of who she came to know as Dr. Ritsuko Akagi. She was amazed at this woman before her. Mai had come to learn quickly, that the rumors of Ritsuko's brilliance were none to far fetched. The blonde scientist held an air about her that commanded respect with her talents.  
  
"Yes ma'am?"  
  
Ritsuko laughed, waving a dismissive hand.  
  
"Ritsuko is fine, I'm not old enough to be a 'ma'am' just yet."  
  
Mai just nodded in response, her smile still dancing across her lips. Ritsuko glanced over a paper a few more times.  
  
"I believe you have already been briefed as to your situation here by Mr. Takashi?"  
  
The raven haired beauty nodded enthusiastically, smiling. Ritsuko smiled back, adjusting her glasses and scanning a few more papers.  
  
"As I'm sure you know, you will not be participating in an Angel battles just yet, unless as a last resort. We will need to incorporate your harmonics and synch ratios into the MAGI system in order for us to monitor you like the other pilots. All of your belongings will be transported to your new residence with Christian."  
  
"Mr. Takashi?"  
  
Mai looked confused for a moment, glancing from Christian to Ritsuko. Christian was a hard man for Mai to really understand. He did not have the reputation that Misato and Ritsuko had just yet, but he was known to be the bodyguard for the pilots when times of danger came about. He had an air of mystery that Mai couldn't quite put her finger on, and although he seemed generally reserved, he did have a kind smile and a warm personality. He was, however, a man, and she a girl. The thought caused the raven haired girls cheeks to flush slightly.  
  
"Umm, but Mr. Takashi is a man..."  
  
The blonde scientist, seated across from her chuckled.  
  
"You're right about that Mai."  
  
The three adults laughed, and finally, it was the blonde bodyguard that spoke up next.  
  
"You can call me Christian, Mai. It's fine that you stay with me. Misato lives right next door with Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley, so it's not abnormal for one of us to be a guardian of a different t gender. NERV actually prefers that we all stay in close quarters, for safety and security reasons. Besides..."  
  
Although it was lost on the young girl sitting next to him, the other two adults picked up the slight narrowing of the eyes and the hint of darkness lining the words.  
  
"...Should I get..._out of line_...Misato will be sure to come over and straighten me out."  
  
The woman in question involuntarily flinched, her gaze strafing from his cold blue to the soft scenery that went by as they drove. A soft but exuberant voice rang back through, bringing the purple haired woman's eyes back around.  
  
"Will I be able to meet Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley?"  
  
Misato smiled at the younger girl, despite the current unease.  
  
"You'll get to do more then meet them, you're one of the pilots, so you'll be working right alongside of them.  
  
Mai's soft Chinese features broke into a smile and she blushed lightly. Christian took note of things, and remembered something from the report he received from his contact the day before.  
  
"You seem very interested in meeting the other Children, don't you?"  
  
The smile never left her soft Chinese features, but the blush subsided.  
  
"They are both widely famous, even the First Child, although most publicity is pulled away from her. You see, the Second and Third Children are fairly famous around the world. They were refereed to as the 'Child Saviors' on more then one occasion, especially where I am from. Ever since I was elected to become an Eva pilots a few months ago, I never truly realized my responsibility until I began hearing about the other pilots that were already waging the war against the Angels. I truly believe that they are soldiers without equal, and I've been wanting to meet them ever since."  
  
Christian nodded lightly, smiling. However, it was Misato's teasing voice that finally broke through.  
  
"Are you sure that you just don't want to meet the Third Child because he's cute, and single?"  
  
The Chinese girl almost screamed in embarrassment, her eyes going wide and her lower jaw almost slamming against the floor. She stammered for a moment, before Ritsuko leaned over and put a comforting hand on her knee.  
  
"You're going to fit in just perfectly Mai."  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Mai stepped into the apartment, feeling slightly out of place, even with the firm hand that guided her into the comfortable surroundings. She took her first look around the house that would become her new residence.  
  
"Your room is right over there, on the left."  
  
The girl nodded slightly, readjusting her duffel bag, and proceeding forward, intent on getting settled in as soon as possible. The blonde bodyguard smiled and walked into the kitchen, pulling out a pair of cups, preparing some tea while his new charge was unpacking and trying to adjust to the new accommodations. He could tell she was a bit out of place, but she was beginning to become more relaxed and relieved at each passing moment.  
  
The door chime ringing through the walls of the apartment caught Christian's attention, and although he was a bit wary about answering it, thanks to a purple haired guardian, he nonetheless strode over, hitting the button and causing the door to hiss open.  
  
"Hi Christian."  
  
It only took a second before the blonde bodyguard was thoroughly happy he had answered it.  
  
"Good evening Shinji."  
  
The older of the two stepped aside, allowing the younger to walk in. The young pilot was dressed in his normal school clothes, but he carried a small backpack with him, carrying the things he would need for his practice session with his bodyguard. The blonde man smiled, walking back towards the kitchen and motioning for Shinji to follow. When the younger Ikari was seated, Christian pulled out another cup, putting the finishing touches on the tea that was brewing.  
  
"Christian, do you know when my belongings will arrive?"  
  
A sing-song voice made Shinji turn his head to its source, and he was in for a pleasant shock. Standing on the other side of the room, was a beautiful young girl around his age. Her long mane of raven black hair was pulled out of it's ponytail, and it cascaded down her back like a wave of black silk. Her face was a sign of brief shock and morbid curiosity as she also took him into regard. But her eyes, a beautiful vibrant green, seemed unnatural, like drops of emerald, set into a beautiful pool of black and white. The young pilot felt his jaw lower slightly, and a mental wall blocked most intelligent thoughts from his mind. It was a reaction that was very similar to the first time he met Asuka.  
  
Mai was surprised to find a young boy sitting at the outstretched counter in the kitchen, obviously conversing with her new guardian. The brown hair was combed about, but had a natural style all its own. He had deep blue eyes that just seemed to trap her senses, and his face proved that he would become very handsome later in age. Seeing that neither of them were going to introduce themselves, the blonde bodyguard cleared his throat, breaking both out of their reveries.  
  
"Shinji, meet Mai-Li Xiong, designated pilot of Evangelion Unit Six. Mai, meet Shinji Ikari, designated pilot of Evangelion Unit One."  
  
Shinji shook his head for a brief second, before smiling warmly and holding out his hand to the approaching girl.  
  
"It's very nice to meet you."  
  
Mai smiled back, a small blush crossing her features.  
  
"It's a pleasure to meet you too."  
  
Christian smiled, offering both teens a cup of tea, both accepting graciously. Conversation ensued, much of it was question and answer on both teens part, the blonde bodyguard listening and commenting here and there. Much of the conversations revolved around each of their respective backgrounds, mostly about their coming to be Evangelion pilots. The conversation continued until a a cell phone rang out, slicing through the soft atmosphere. The blonde man pulled it out of his pocket, checking the number, and bringing it up to his ear.  
  
"Takashi here."  
  
Both teenagers watched as he nodded his head a few times, before clicking it off.  
  
"That was Misato. Obviously there is some situation requires my presence, along with a few other people."  
  
Shinji looked a little struck for a moment, before nodding.  
  
"Does this mean training is off for the night?"  
  
The blonde bodyguard looked thoughtful for a moment, tapping a finger against his chin. He glanced up and shook his head.  
  
"Only if you want it to be. I don't mind leaving you to here, and I'm sure Mai wouldn't mind the company."  
  
He looked at the Chinese beauty, who smiled and nodded her head. He nodded back, before gathering up his jacket and checking himself for any other needed items. As he was getting prepared, he spoke off orders to Shinji.  
  
"Practice what I showed you last time, your basic punches and kicks. Spend about a half hour on the treadmill, don't worry if you need to turn down the speed if you begin to tire. Make sure you do the stretches I explained to you, before you start."  
  
Shinji nodded in understanding before the blonde man called out his goodbye.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Shinji sat on one of the blue training mats that were placed around the gym equipment, legs stretched as far to the sides as he could get them. It amazed him how his bodyguard could do some of the things he could do, without tearing something at every turn. The Third Child just sighed, and tried to stretch a bit more, flinching as his body protested with the action he was taking upon it.  
  
"Would you like some help?"  
  
Shinji looked up, meeting the smile of a certain Chinese girl.  
  
Mai and Shinji had both talked shyly after their bodyguard had left, before Mai realized how late it was and rushed to get the rest of her belongings unpacked. At that point, Shinji realized that much more time had passed then he had intended, and he would need to start on his training if he was going to get to bed at a decent hour.  
  
Mai's smile grew as Shinji returned it, nodding softly. He blushed lightly when he realized that the girl was in a pair of shorts that definitely shouldn't be worn outside of private places. Her shoot was a bit more modest, even though it left little to Shinji's intrusive imagination. She sat down in front of him, and reached out with both of her arms.  
  
"Give me your hands."  
  
Shinji complied, trying not to yelp when he felt her soft hands take his. The Third Child nearly had a heart attack as the Chinese girl placed her feet against his legs, at mid-thigh. She pulled on his arms lightly, while using her socked feet to push his legs lightly. Amazingly, Shinji didn't feel nearly the pain he did before.  
  
"Keep leaning back, and pull yourself forward with your arms."  
  
The boy complied, flinching only a little. After several minutes of this, Mai let go of his hands and stood up, straightening out her clothing. Shinji hoisted himself up too, rubbing a few sore spots and getting the feeling back into his legs. Shinji gave the Chinese girl a soft smile.  
  
"Thanks for the help, works much better with two people. How did you know that would be better anyways?"  
  
Mai walked past him, browsing through some of the training gear that was nestled in a case not far from the punching bag. "My guardian back in China was a karate instructor, and taught self-defense to many of the agents at the Nerv branch there. So, I couldn't help but learn a few things over time."  
  
Shinji nodded. "Sounds like you really learned a lot."  
  
The boy didn't get a chance to expand on his statement before a pair of training gloves, and a padded helmet landed near his feet. He glanced up at the Chinese girl, as she fastened her own training gloves, a smile dancing across her lips.  
  
"Care to find out how much?"  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Shinji, of course, learned that the term 'But learn a few things' meant that Mai had trained for a long time in the style of karate. He had a chance to figure that out as he landed on his back for the umpteenth time throughout their sparring match. Although to him it didn't seem like a sparring match, and more of him just trying to get a decent hit in. At first, he seemed quite reserved about trying to strike a girl, but when he realized that Mai could indeed defend herself, he actually began to try and attack her. Of course, his limited knowledge in martial arts, and his uncanny dislike of any kind of violence led him to be sorely disappointed in his performance.  
  
Shinji groaned as he sat up, motioning to Mai that he was through, and unclasping the padded helmet. Mai knelt in front of him, pulling off her own helmet. The boy couldn't help but stare as she flung her hair out of the makeshift bun, the slight flush across her cheeks, and the deep steady breathing that went with her exertion.  
  
"What is it like?"  
  
The question brought a screeching halt to any other thoughts that Shinji might have. He tilted his head to the side, his eyes questioning.  
  
"What is what like?"  
  
"Fighting the Angels."  
  
Mai was surprised when a deep frown crossed against his lips, as he slid his legs under himself in an Indian sitting position. He hung his head a bit, and answered in a voice that made Mai want to naturally comfort him.  
  
"It's...painful. They are demons in disguise, not angels. They cause so much destruction, yet won't stop until all of humanity is destroyed."  
  
Mai mimicked his sitting style, and watched him intently as his voice carried on.  
  
"They always find a way to hurt us. To use us against ourselves, as if we were some sort of subject that they need to test. Every time I climb into my Eva, someone gets hurt, and its their fault. When you ask what it's like fighting the Angels, you should ask the people who have lost their homes, or lost their belongings...or even worse...who've lost their loved ones. They are the ones who pay the price for this war. So many times, I've walked down the street, and watched as a little girl or boy run around with their kite and I can't help but think that it may be the last time they get to fly it. They always find new ways to cause us pain, as if it were some sort of sick hobby they take up in their free time. When you stare them in the face, feel the pain of their actions or the fear that they cause, you realize that this is everything the rest of the world will feel if we don't stop them here and now. So, in order to do that, we must destroy what we must to keep them at bay...I guess...to answer your question..."  
  
Mai listened softly as Shinji looked out of the balcony window that was across the room.  
  
"You feel like an Angel...when you're fighting one."  
  
Mai looked at the worn face of Shinji Ikari for truly the first time. It finally clicked that the boy in front of her was completely right in the one word he used to explain their situation...  
  
_War..._  
  
People were suffering, and dying and it was painted across his face that their deaths and losses were starting to eat away at him. The Chinese girl tried to reply to him, but every time she opened her mouth, the words retreated back down her throat. When she finally built up her resolve to respond, she heard the front door hiss open, and a disgruntled sigh escaped into the apartment.  
  
Christian walked into the apartment, noticing both his charges sitting across from each other, and it was apparent that the two had been sparring at some point in time. He smiled and walked up to where the two were seated.  
  
"Well Shinji, I guess I should have warned you that Mai here has been studying martial arts for some time now. At least from what her records can tell us."  
  
Despite what the earlier conversation consisted of, Shinji smiled and pulled himself up.  
  
"Yeah, I found out first hand." The young boy glanced at the clock. "It's late, so I should probably get going. Thanks for helping me today Mai."  
  
The girl smiled and returned the small bow that he had given her. Without another word, he grabbed his backpack and made his way out of the apartment. It didn't escape the blonde bodyguard's notice, that the Third Child's head was hung a little lower then usual. He turned back to his new charge, who was slowly putting the training gear back in it's respective places. Her face was solemn but he could sense an underlying unease under features.  
  
"Shinji seemed a bit upset."  
  
Mai nodded.  
  
"Mind telling me what it's about?" Christian could take two guesses as to what their conversation was about.  
  
"About piloting Eva."  
  
Of course he would only need one guess.  
  
"I see..." Any other words were not exchanged, but Christian motioned for the Chinese beauty to follow him into the kitchen. She took a seat at the outstretched counter and watched as her new guardian fixed some tea. After it was prepared, he pushed a cup towards her, pulling his own cup up to his lips, savoring the hot but smooth flavor. He watched her closely as she just stared at the cup in front of her, and silence enveloped the two of them for some time. Finally, he took a deep breath.  
  
"Whatever Shinji told you, it's absolutely true. This isn't a game Mai, and I don't honestly think you believe it is. However, you've got to remember this is serious. People may die, and you could be hurt. Any of us could be. You have to be strong through, and keep your chin up. Shinji, as well as the rest of the pilots, have had some terrible experiences since they've been here, and you may not be any exception."  
  
Christian was mildly concerned that the vibrant girl he had met hours before, seemed to recede into a Shinji like depression after he made his statement. His concern grew when she nodded and gave him a soft thank you, before getting up and walking to her room. His eyes followed her all the way till she was all the way inside of her room, softly sliding the door closed. He let out a soft sigh, shaking his head and reminding himself that there were more important things to worry about.  
  
Making sure her door was fully closed, he walked out onto the porch and closed the glass door behind himself. He glanced next door, and finding nobody occupying the porch of the Katsuragi residence, he pulled out a small silver device, flipping it open. There was of course only one ring, before the all too familiar voice rang through. He smiled, sending his greeting back, before he stared up at the night sky.  
  
"Unit Four has disappeared..."  
  
The voice on the other end was silent for a moment, before finally responding. The young man nodded his head.  
  
"Yes, I've felt it as well."  
  
He heard an affirmative response following his, and he let out another frustrated sigh.  
  
"If it's true, then everything we've worked up towards will be wasted."  
  
Once again, silence rang out across the connection, before a soft inquiry followed through.  
  
"Yes...when the Seventeenth arrives...we'll find out for sure..."  
  
The phone clicked off after both had said their farewells, and Christian stared out among the star filled sky, running a hand through his short blond locks. He seemed to age right on the spot, his eyes becoming heavy and his body slumping against the railing.  
  
H_ow much longer before I'm swept away in the same unknown current as everyone else?_  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Mai sat quietly on her bed, rolling over the thoughts that had plagued her mind ever since her discussion with her blonde bodyguard.  
  
_People could get hurt...  
  
You have to be strong..._  
  
The Chinese girl glanced at her nightstand, where two photos silently stood, giving glimpses of times long since past. One held an older man, wearing traditional Chinese clothing, and standing in front of a large dojo. His smile was small, his long mustache barely upturned. His eyes were happy though, and he had his arm wrapped around a younger girl, 10 at the most, whose black shoulder length hair was pulled into twin pigtails. She seemed just was happy, waving to whoever was taking the photo.  
  
The second picture was taken by the sea, and a couple stood at the edge of a small cliff, staring across the sunset ocean. The man was pointing out towards the horizon, and the woman was snuggled into his side. She had long brown hair, tied back into a ponytail, with a soft sun dress. The man's jet black hair was short, and combed neatly to the side. His simple white shirt and brown slacks were a perfect contrast to the outfit the beautiful woman was wearing.  
  
_Dad...please...  
  
Mother...what's going on?!  
  
You're not my father!  
  
I hate you!  
  
Please leave me alone!  
  
Mom, where are you going?!  
  
Mother, Father, what's wrong?  
  
I didn't do anything wrong, please....NO!!  
_  
Mai shook her head, blasting out anything else that was surfacing. She glanced at the bottle sitting between the two pictures, and opened the cap, taking a pill out and placing it in her mouth. Placing the cup of water, that had also been sitting there, against her lips, she drank slowly, letting the pill slide down her throat. The Sixth Child let out a deep breath when she set the glass back down. Sliding under her sheets, she turned out the light that was next to her.  
  
Although the room was enveloped in darkness, the moonlight softly filtered through the window, landing on her nightstand. She settled herself in her pillow, before glancing at the first of the two pictures. A soft, but strong voice filtered through her mind...a memory long since past.  
  
_Sometimes the wrong people get hurt Mai-Li, but you must be strong. Nobody ever asks for such things to happen to them, but if they do happen, you must hold yourself high and..._  
  
Sleep obviously was a merciful thing, because it claimed the young Chinese beauty before her memories could fully resurface.  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Asuka glared up at the hulking form of Unit-02, whose only response was to give the fiery redhead it's own ever present grin. Her hands were firmly planted on her hips, where they had been for the last 20 minutes. Another deep frown crossed her red lips as she spoke softly.  
  
"You're my doll, so you have to do what I say."  
  
Any other words Asuka was going to throw out at the silent robot were cut short, when she heard the footsteps of someone else on the catwalk. She turned to find a Chinese girl about her age, hair pulled back into a ponytail, and a green and grey plugsuit hugging her lithe features, much the way her red plugsuit hugged hers. She didn't even acknowledge the girls presence until she was standing next to her, and when she finally did turn, her eyes seemed to regard the raven haired beauty as royalty would a commoner.  
  
"Asuka Langley?"  
  
The fiery beauty nodded her head, looking back at her Evangelion.  
  
"I'm Mai-Li Xiong, pilot of..."  
  
"I know who you are."  
  
Mai clamped up, not fully expecting to be cut off so directly. She noticed that Asuka still seemed to be staring at her Eva, and was not entirely suer whether she should continue what could barely be called a conversation. She had heard the rumors that the Second Child was a bit high strung and definitely prideful, but she was not certain which were rumors and which were fact. Also, that morning Christian had warned her that the Second Child was having 'difficulties' piloting her Eva, and thus would probably not be in the best of moods. Mai had heeded his advice, but thought that it would still be nice to meet the legendary Second Child, and possibly get to know the girl she had only read about.  
  
"Well, I'm pleased to meet you Asuka. I've heard a lot about you."  
  
Asuka let out an annoyed breath, and turned her head slightly to look at the girl next to her.  
  
"You should have, I'm the best Eva pilot this place has got."  
  
Mai was not a stupid girl, and she could plainly see that even the redhead didn't believe the statement when it left her mouth. However, the Chinese girl didn't press the fact, and instead, continued on with pleasantries.  
  
"I understand you live next door with Shinji and Misato, maybe I could come over one time and..."  
  
Asuka annoyed breath made Mai stop mid-sentence. "I don't care if you come over, just don't expect me to look forward to it."  
  
The raven haired girl look slightly shocked. Sensing disdain from her companion, she took a moment to gain her bearings before pressing again.  
  
"I can understand you being upset, Christian informed me that you were having some trouble..."  
  
"Can it rookie!"  
  
Mai was quite surprised when Asuka turned on her heel, facing her for the first time during their first encounter with each other.  
  
"Let's get one thing straight Sixth, I'm not having any trouble, and you sure as hell have no room to talk. You can be 'informed' all you want, especially from that pathetic excuse of a bodyguard, but it won't mean a damn thing. You have yet to get your feet wet, and if I have my way, you and your Unit Six will be nothing more then paper weights. I'm going to defeat the next Angel, and every one after that, so don't expect to out pilot me anytime soon."  
  
Asuka stood right in front of Mai, and considering their similarities in height, it made it very easy for the two to lock eyes for a moment. The Chinese girl was still slightly confused at the outburst she had received just by trying to get better acquainted with someone she would like to soon call a friend. Asuka's eyes held a silent anger, feeling downright insulted that a rookie pilot was trying to downsize her piloting skills. Before either could continue their conversation, an alarm screamed through the headquarters, foretelling pain and destruction that was on it's way. Both girls looked up, but Asuka was the first to respond.  
  
"An Angel?"  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
Christian's teeth grit as he heard the screams echoing over the comm system. Scream after heart wrenching scream made it's way to the ears of everyone in the control room. Everyone watched, mortified as Asuka held her head in between her hands, curled up in a fetal position, and sounding as if the hounds of Hell had come to take her soul to the Devils front door.  
  
The blonde bodyguard was hoping that it wouldn't come to this. Asuka had of course refused to be Rei's backup, and had elected herself to take the point position. When the Angel finally attacked, it used an inverted A.T. Field to puncture Asuka's already frail mind. Several rounds from the positron rifle went off, detonating in several areas around Tokyo-03. Rei had even tried using her high-powered rifle, but once again to no avail. So here Christian stood, Mai at his side, staring up at the horrific display in front of them.  
  
"Let me out there!"  
  
The control room was pleasantly surprised when Shinji's determined face came up on the screen. However, the ice cold tone of his father brought his son's determination to a dead halt.  
  
"No. We can not afford Unit One to be contaminated by an Angel."  
  
The young pilot narrowed his eyes, trying to burn a hole through the bastard he wished hadn't had a part to play in his birthing.  
  
"She'll die if you don't let me do something!"  
  
The blonde bodyguard watched the scene unfold in front of him, before a thought struck him, and he quickly ran over to Maya's console. Asking her permissions and getting the ok, he connected a line directly to Shinji's plug.  
  
"Shinji, listen very carefully to me."  
  
On the screen overlooking the control room, Shinji suddenly looked down at his bodyguard, doing exactly what was asked of him.  
  
"I'm going to make a direct connection from your comm to Asuka's, I'll also be raising the volume decibels so that she can hear you. I want you to talk to her Shinji, about anything. I don't care what it is, but make sure she HEARS you. Let her know she's not alone, you've got to get through to her and keep her mind away from what that Angel is doing to her."  
  
The brown haired boy looked confused for a moment, before the same determination that had donned his face earlier returned. When the heard the connection click through, he immediately began talking.  
  
"Asuka! Asuka can you hear me!"  
  
The only response he was given, were the poor girls screams, which had lowered tremendously. He could hear her sobs and it made him flinch.  
  
"Asuka, you've got to listen to me. Don't let this thing beat you, you're stronger then this. I know you can fight it Asuka!"  
  
As if it were some sort of miracle, Asuka's sobs lightened and her head lifted, little by little.  
  
"S...Shinji...?"  
  
The boy in question cheered in his mind, before letting a barrage of words leave his throat.  
  
"I'm right here Asuka! Don't let this thing beat you! I know you're better then this, you let us know everyday. You're the best damn Evangelion pilot here, and don't let us forget it Asuka! I know you've got the strength to stand up to this!"  
  
As Shinji continued to rain his support upon the broken redhead, the elder Ikari finally made his demands known.  
  
"Send Rei to Terminal Dogma to retrieve the Lance."  
  
That simple statement was like a pistol blast going off inside of a supermarket. Everyone froze, everyone went silent, and nobody knew what to do. It was Misato who finally spoke up.  
  
"But I thought if an Angel came in contact with Adam it would cause Third Impact!"  
  
Silence was her only answer, and she grumbled under her breath turning away from the man who sat upon his throne. Above everyone, Fyuutski leaned over, placing his hand on the Commander's shoulder and whispering into his ear.  
  
"It's too early to use the Lance, Ikari. SEELE won't approve of this. We should deploy Unit Six."  
  
The younger of the two merely stared out in front of him, hands ever intertwined under his nose.  
  
"You know it is too early to sacrifice Unit Six just yet. We can't turn time back-wards, but we can spur events forward. Using the Lance at this point will be critical in us justifying our actions later on."  
  
Fyuutski took his hand off the elder Ikari's shoulder, before looking up and taking note of Rei reaching the surface, Lance in hand. He listened for awhile, as Shinji continued to try to break through to Asuka.  
  
"I hope you aren't making a mistake Gendo."  
  
The amber glasses on the Commander's face glinted as Rei released the Lance, and he took note of Fyuutski using his first name. He made no response, and instead listened as the Angel was declared decimated. He heard Fyuutski straighten out behind him.  
  
"Is there any way to retrieve the Lance?"  
  
Upon hearing the negative, Fyuutski placed his hands behind his back, whispering softly. "I truly hope you aren't making a mistake."  
  
The control room was silent as the only sound left what the soft sobs of one Asuka Langley Sorhyu. Misato wrapped her arms around herself and tried to keep herself from mimicking the sounds her young charge was making over the communications system. Each sob tore at her heart, and holding herself was all she could do to keep herself from falling to the floor in a fit of sobs. She glanced over and noticed Ritsuko in a similar state, keeping herself steady by using the back of Maya's chair as a handle. Maya, Hyugo and Aoba all seemed to be in similar states of shock and unease as the cries of Asuka made it's way into their brains. When her eyes finally landed on the form hunched over the other side of Maya's terminal, she realized that someone else probably felt just as bad as she did.  
  
That was until she watched Christian snatch up a nearby clipboard and hurl it over the edge of the control room, letting the poor thing fall several hundred feet to it's doom.  
  
"**GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!**"  
  
The entire control room looked up at the young man in surprise, his arm still outstretched and his breathing heavy. Ritsuko was the only person that didn't move, other then letting her head hang a little lower. The blonde bodyguard finally turned and stormed out of the control room, his hard footfalls echoing even after the doors hissed closed behind him. Maya looked startled, before she stood up, getting ready to chase the young man down. A firm had clasped her shoulders and she turned to find her role model shaking her head slightly.  
  
"Let him go Maya..."  
  
The brunette looked to protest, but sighed as well, before sitting back in her seat, and slumping over.  
  
The purple haired goddess could do nothing but watch the entire scene unfold. She noticed Mai standing a bit behind Hyugo, still watching the screen as Unit-02 was being swarmed by field technicians. The young Chinese girl looked shaken, until she felt a soft hand land on her shoulder. She turned to find Asuka's guardian looking down at her, a soft comfort lining the back of her eyes.  
  
"You just got your first glimpse of what it takes to be an Evangelion pilot."  
  
Mia nodded, and was surprised when Misato took her into a soft hug. The Major was mildly surprised back when the young girl returned it, before glancing back at the screen through soft tears.  
  
_God...Why must you punish children who have done nothing wrong to you?_  
  
------------------------------------------------------------  
  
"Asuka, I'm glad that you're ok!"  
  
"Who says that I'm ok! That little...bitch...Rei...she saved me. I hate her. I hate her! I hate you Shinji, I hate everything!"  
  
Shock would be an understatement. Hurt would be an even bigger one. Yet those were the only two words Shinji could use to describe what we was feeling at the moment. Yellow caution tape had been wrapped around the area surrounding Asuka, and whether it was for her own good, or anyone else's, Shinji couldn't help but wish that he could tear it all down. She had been deemed 'contaminated' and had been quarantined off by technicians who were now tending to the unscathed Unit-02. Shinji frowned a bit more when he realized that an unscathed Unit-02 came at a terrible price.  
  
He gave the once fiery redhead one last look, the sight of her curled up and sobbing burning it's way into the back of his mind. He turned away and began to walk back the way he came, rubbing the tears that were stinging his eyes. He stopped when he felt a light hand against his chest. When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a person he had not fully expected to see.  
  
"Go to her."  
  
Shinji looked back at Asuka, her shoulders still shaking uncontrollably. He glanced back at the person who had their hand against his chest.  
  
"I can't, she's under quaran..."  
  
"I am not going to repeat myself."  
  
The young pilot could only nod as he heard a voice that sounded nothing like Christian's, rise from the mans throat. Following his bodyguards advice, he turned and walked back towards the yellow tape. He stood their for a moment, like a mouse getting ready to run out of it's hole and towards the cat. Taking a few steady breaths, he set one foot over the yellow tape, and then followed it with the other.  
  
Unsure steps were what he used to stand next to the sobbing redhead. If she knew he was there, she showed no signs of caring, face still buried between her knees. Shinji sat down in a similar fashion to Asuka, saying nothing and looking out over the horizon.  
  
"I d...don't...really hate...y-you."  
  
Shinji couldn't help but nod his head as the German beauty hiccuped out her true intent. He noticed that she held what seemed to be a small gold bracelet in her hands, with something etched onto it that he couldn't understand.  
  
"I know Asuka...I know."  
  
Several feet behind them, a seething fire was building. Flames began to twist in a hellish dance of fury, before towering up over everything else. Heat came out in washes of anger and frustration, reminding the world that it would not be denied it's rightful duty to destroy all in it's path. Then Christian closed his eyes...  
  
...and when he opened them, the fires were gone. In their place, sat a cold, steely resolve. So he just narrowed them and turned around, walking away, jacket fluttering in a breeze that suddenly picked up.  
  
A breeze that just seemed to whisper for the fires to come back.  
  
**_------------------------------------------------------------_**  
  
The doors to the Commanders office hissed opened, and suddenly, the thermostat on the side of the room dropped a few degrees. A figure stalked all the way towards the desk, behind which sat a person that humanity would be afraid to call its own. The figure took long, meaningful strides, a mission behind its movements. Gendo watched as the person made their way to his desk, Fyuutski standing behind him.  
  
"Mr. Takashi..."  
  
The named rolled off Gendo Ikari's tongue like a steel pike through the forehead, and before either Commander's could register the movement, the blonde bodyguard had stalked all the way up to the front of the steel desk, and slammed a piece of metal against it's cold surface.  
  
Gendo's eyes narrowed behind the amber glasses as Christian leaned over the desk, almost invading the elder Ikari's personal space.  
  
"Listen closely, and listen good..."  
  
The Sub-Commander, who stood slightly behind the two, slowly reached into his jacket, keeping it their as a silent threat. If the blonde bodyguard had seen the action, he took no heed. In fact, he pressed forward even more.  
  
"I was hired for one purpose, and that was to keep those Children safe from elements that I could keep them safe from. I am to protect them no matter what the cost, even if it's my own life. I would be willing to give anything up to make sure they don't have to suffer. I was hired to protect them, and I will..." His face ended up just inches away from Gendo's and latter gave no indication of being intimidated in the least.  
  
"Even if it's from you..."  
  
A soft click could be heard from the behind the two, but Fyuutski still held his hand inside his coat, not moving any more then the men in front of them. Once again, the threat was lost on the young man.  
  
Two sets of eyes squared off in a battle for dominance, and neither gained any ground on the other. Finally, Christian's voice seemed to freeze the walls surrounding the office.  
  
"Don't think for one moment, that I won't hesitate to kill you, should you ever jeopardize one of them like that again."  
  
To emphasis his point, he clicked back the small hammer on the device he had slammed against the desk. Without another word, he turned and walked defiantly out of the office. Gendo hadn't moved through the entire ordeal, but he could hear a soft breath escape from his companion behind him. The elder Ikari looked at the gun that still sat on his desk, hammer back, and trigger ready to be pulled.  
  
He reached out and uncocked the gun, before placing it in a vacant drawer in his desk. He stood slowly, and walked towards the window that was behind his desk, staring out at the landscape of the GeoFront. He heard the older man click back his own weapon, before taking a seat on the corner of the desk.  
  
"Fyuutski, see that Mr. Takashi gets promoted to Captain."  
  
Gendo had expected the soft laugh that came from Fyuutski's throat.  
  
"May I ask why?"  
  
Although the Commander hadn't moved his head, Fyuutski could tell his eyes had shifted to him.  
  
"Because now I'm absolutely certain that Shinji is in good hands for the time being."  
  
The Sub-Commander nodded his understanding, even as another soft laugh emanated from his mouth.  
  
"A man comes in and threatens you, and you promote him. I never thought I would see the day Ikari..."  
  
The amber glasses on his face glinted as a small smirk plastered it's way onto his lips.  
  
"You know the saying, my old friend..."  
  
"..._'God works in mysterious ways'_..."  
  
Fyuutski wasn't sure what unnerved him more. The fact that Gendo was overlooking the GeoFront as he made that statement...  
  
...or that his old friend's hand was tracing his own reflection in the glass.

* * *

Author's Notes:  
  
Well, first I guess an apology is in order for the long wait. Like I had said in my previous chapter, I have recently been in the process of moving and getting myself settled in my new surrounding. And since I'm going to get straight to the point...  
  
...I didn't realize moving also involved getting robbed.  
  
There had to be some higher being laughing as I came home to find my place ransacked for much of what it was worth. My computer, my T.V., all of my game systems, my whole stockpile of Anime DvD's and DvD movies, pretty much everything of importance was gone. Thankfully, the police had found out who it was fairly easily. When I moved in, there were a few gardeners who were working on a house across from mine. Apparently, they decided that they liked what they saw me and my friends carrying out of my U-Haul truck, and took it among themselves to take it. Since I work graveyard, they had decided to strike during the day.  
  
Pretty stupid move since the woman across the street recognized them instantly. (They worked on her yard on a regular basis, DUH!)  
  
To make another long story short, the police easily apprehended them. By that time, they had sold a few of my possessions. (Namely my computer, one of my console systems and games). Thankfully, most everything else was recovered. Except my computer, which of course had ALL of my personal information on it. Including the almost completed Chapter 4. (Thank god for password protection)  
  
I had nothing to write on, and I sure wasn't going to write this on a piece of paper. Thankfully, a friend of mine lent me a long lost typewriter he found in his basement. So low and behold, while I saved up money for a new comp (Which I need anyways!), I continued my writing on that, waiting until I could get myself something new.  
  
So here I sit, with a new comp into front of me, copying everything I have written on that lovely (but damn old) typewriter. I apologize if this chapter doesn't seem up to par, as I had to rewrite it and much of it's luster feels gone after that. But I'll leave that for you all to decide, since you are of course, the readers.  
  
As a special bonus, for the long wait, I've added a little teaser at the end of my Author's Notes for Chapter 5. I hope it hooks you all enough to make you scream for more. Chapter 5 is, by the way, about half way done, but I probably won't get around to finishing it for another couple weeks. (So long as I don't hit writers block or don't have to spend too much overtime at work.)  
  
Once again, my heart felt thanks goes out to jennyjennai, Cyber-Undead, Zang-sama, Lonely Magician, lawless priest, and everyone else that reviewed. I love knowing that all of you are enjoying what I write. I hope this chapter meets all your expectations, and keeps you wanting more. ;) Love you all!  
  
Until I see you all again, please, take care of yourselves.  
  
**_Chris_**

* * *

Teaser Trailer - Chapter 5: Fallen Dreams and Shattered Angels

* * *

Shinji just stared at Asuka as she lay upon her bed, crying as if no one else was around to see.  
  
"What am I doing wrong Shinji? Am I so worthless?"  
  
Shinji stepped forward...

------------------------------------------------------------

Rei stared at the glasses she held in her hand, feeling the cool surface run across the ridges in her palm. She didn't realize her hands constricting until the lens gave an audible crack, a protest to the evil blue haired girl that was squeezing it so hard. She was shocked to see a few wet drops softly land on the lens', before she realized that they were tears...  
  
...that fell from her own eyes.  
  
"Who am I?"  
  
That was when her eyes picked up the small mirror that had been resting peacefully on her nightstand.

------------------------------------------------------------

Ritsuko didn't know how fast he moved, but she knew the end result. Especially when the cold steel barrel was pressed against her forehead. She couldn't stop the tears that fell from her eyes as she stared into his deep blues, which did nothing to hide the betrayal behind them. His soft voice only made her want to moan in despair all the more.  
  
"You made me a promise..."

------------------------------------------------------------

Christian's arms shot up fast enough to catch the girl's fist before it got anywhere near him. With a quick jerk to the right, he sent Mai sprawling. Using her momentum, she rolled quickly to her feet, once again attacking the man in front of her. He dodged and weaved, before ducking low and sweeping her legs out from under her. She landed with a yelp, before her guardian stood over her.  
  
"Is that enough?"

------------------------------------------------------------

Her red hair clung to her face as the rain continued to pour down. The sky was dark, and thunder could be heard calling out the lightning, both making a harmony of light and sound in the night sky. Her dress had long since become drenched, clinging to her body like the plugsuit she no longer felt worthy to wear. She couldn't tell whether it was the rain, or her tears, that made her eyes sting so badly, but it didn't matter as she sunk to her knees in the muddy earth.  
  
"I'm coming to heaven with you...Mama..."

* * *

Thalarian T.M. Productions 


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